I’m Tony, and these are my September 2011 picks…

Beverly Hensley–White Trash Legacy

Charissa Mrowka–Simply Together

Charissa Mrowka is from Bristol, Wisconsin, playing Country, Southern Rock & Pop Music. Charissa has been performing by herself since the age of 7, and with The Auburn Sky Band since the age of 10. She’s excited to have been asked to perform at CMA Fest 2011 in Nashville, and will be a semi-regular performer at the world famous clubs, Tootsie’s and Rippy’s, also in Nashville. She’s already opened for such acts as Gretchen Wilson, Phil Vassar, Neal McCoy, LeAnn Rimes, Lone Star, Jo Dee Messina, Billy Ray Cyrus, Joe Diffie, Kelly Pickler, Pat Green, The Oak Ridge Boys, & ZZ Top! She released a cd in 2010, working with producers Skip & Lynn Saylor under the Guitar Girl Records label, and has 2 songs from it available on I-Tunes, “Hold On And Breathe” & “Miss Misery”. Her mother, Donna, sent me 4 of her songs, which I’ve added to the rotation of my DJ show here on HTB, and I chose the song “Simply Together” for her contest entry this month. She wrote the song herself at the age of 14, and recorded it in Nashville at the age of 15, backed by Shawn Byrne of The Rodney Atkins Band, and several of Taylor Swift’s band-members.  You can see the video of this song at www.youtube.com/charissaonline I hope you like it as much as I do, and will vote it into the top 5 where it belongs! For more info on Charissa Mrowka, you can visit her website, www.charissaonline, or her RN page, www.reverbnation.com/charissamrowka, which also has links to her other sites, like Facebook, MySpace & Twitter…

Dave Younger–Friends With The Devil

Dave Younger is from Pine Grove, California, playing Country & Americana Music. You probably remember Dave and his song-writing partner, Farnell Cole, from last month’s Hossey contest, with their hilarious song “It Ain’t Right”, which is now in December’s finals. This month, I chose another of their songs,”Friends With The Devil”, as Dave’s contest entry. On his RN page, Dave says he played music for love or money for most of his life, now he plays mostly for the love. He now spends his days teaching middle school students how to study, and his weekends and evenings on his California ranchito with his wife, Sue. He describes himself as a throwback, who writes music about what he sees and hears in his head. (And, if you read some of his comments last month, you’d agree that he sees and hears some strange things in his head!) For more info on Dave Younger, and to download a number of songs for free, visit his RN page, www.reverbnation.com/daveyngr, which also has links to several other sites that are playing his music, including www.hosstheboss.com!…

Girls, Guns And Glory–Sweet Nothings

Girls, Guns And Glory are from Boston, Massachusetts, playing Country, Americana & Roots Music. GGG is the brain-child of Lonesome Day recording artist Ward Hayden on vocals & acoustic guitar, who formed the band in 2005. He solidifed the line-up in 2009, with Paul Zaz Dilley on upright electric bass, Michael Calabrese on drums & vocals, & Chris Hersch on electric guitar. GGG has released 3 full-length, critically acclaimed albums at the Noise In The Attic Recording Studios, 2006’s “Fireworks & Alcohol”, 2007’s “Pretty Little Wrecking Ball”, & 2009’s “Inverted Valentine”. When Ward gave me permission to play their music on HTB back in 2009, he sent me all 3 of those cds, and now their latest “Sweet Nothings”, which just came out August 30th, 2011. (I’ve added all 4 of those cd’s to my DJ show on HTB.) GGG has now become an international touring act, being named Independent Artists Of The Year at the French Country Music Awards. They’ve also received several awards in the Boston area, and were the only band of their genre to ever win the legendary WBCN Rock ‘N’ Roll Rumble. And, now, they’re competing in an international song-voting contest on www.HosstheBoss.com with the title track of their latest cd! For more info on GGG, visit their website, www.girlsgunsandglory.com, which has links to their Facebook, MySpace & Twitter pages, or their RN page, www.reverbnation.com/girlsgunsandglory…

Mary Everhart–Butt-Kickin’ Mary

Mary Everhart is from Crawfordville, Florida, playing Blues, Classic Rock, & Southern Rock Music. Mary’s been performing since the age of 3, when she captivated family and tribe members with her energetic rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner”. (She is a proud member of the Echota Cherokee Tribe, Alabama Deer Clan.) When she landed her 1st real gig, she said she spent the entire time hoping the bar owner wouldn’t realize she was underage! Later gigs would prove just as interesting, including one night, when she was playing to a packed house at Orlando, Florida’s House Of Blues, when a dead body was discovered in a storage room at the club, and her show had to be stopped while the police were called in. She has now spent some 30 years performing with various groups, as well as by herself, at clubs, festivals & benefits throughout the South. Backing her now at her live shows are Jon Bailey on guitar, Jim Bass on bass, & Albert Burroughs on drums. She’s released 2 cds, “Mary Thornton-Rottweiler Blues” in 1998, and “Distant Star” in 2003, which I’ve added to the rotation of my show on HTB, and from which I chose the song “Butt-Kickin’ Mary” as her September contest entry. Mary’s record label is Red Bird Records, and she says all her original songs are copyrighted, and “Poachers will be shot and fed to the gators”! For more info on Mary Everhart, visit her website, www.blueshalloffame.com/Local_Blues_Talent_of_Florida/.html#Mary_Everhart , or her RN page, www.reverbnation.com/maryeverhart, which has links to her Facebook & MySpace pages…

Midnight River Choir–Seven Sundays

Midnight River Choir is from New Braunfels, Texas, playing Americana Music. MRC is a 4-man band, consisting of Eric Middleton on lead vocals & guitar, Justin Nelson on lead guitar, Jeromy Yager on bass, & Mitchell Pyeatt on drums. The story of MRC is proof that, sometimes, great bands just happen. 1 night, 4 strangers were taking a float trip together down the Guadalupe River in Texas, when they started singing songs to pass the time. As they made their way down the river, they say their “beautiful harmonies echoed in the heads of sleeping campers”. The next morning, they overheard a man telling his friends that he had been awakened by a “midnight river choir”, and the rest, as they say, is musical history. They have 1 cd out, 2011’s “Welcome To Delirium”, which was sent to me by their manager. I’ve added that cd to the rotation of my show on HTB, while choosing their song “Seven Sundays” off it for this month’s contest. By the way, if you’re in New Braunfels, Texas on Sunday, Sept. 4th, you can catch MRC doing a gig at the Lone Star Floathouse. For more info on Midnight River Choir, check out their RN page, www.reverbnation.com/midnightriverchoir, or their website, www.midnightriverchoir.com, where you can buy their cd, and link on to their Facebook & Twitter pages…

Ronnie Hymes & Carolina Freight–Unincorporated

Ronnie Hymes & Carolina Freight are from Fayetteville, North Carolina, playing Country, Americana, & Honky Tonk Music. They’re a 4-man band, consisting of Ronnie Hymes on vocals & guitar, Jukebox Hank on doghouse bass, Tim Shearer on lead guitar, & Buck Thrailkill on banjo. On their RN page, it says “This ain’t your daughter’s NashVegas infused Country Music”! Critics say you can’t put a label on Ronnie’s music, and that it’s raw, real and true to it’s roots. Hymes learned to play the guitar as a child, and performed in several groups through his teenage years, before going to work as a mechanic, then landing a job in a tire factory where his father worked. He said that experience gave him the “Working Man Blues” like Merle Haggard sang about, so he went back into music, producing a 5-song solo, EP cd, that made it’s mark in the underground Country Music scene. Last September, he produced a full-length cd, “Unincorporated”, that I’ve now added to the rotation of my show on HTB, while choosing the title track for his entry in this contest. Listen closely to the lyrics of this song, Hoss, you’ll like it. Ronnie will be on tour this month with an old friend from previous contests on HTB, Lucky Tubb & The Modern Day Troubadours. (We have an interview with Lucky somewhere on here.) For more info on Ronnie Hymes & Carolina Freight, check out their RN page, www.reverbnation.com/ronniehymes, which also has links to their MySpace & Facebook pages…

Rusty Hicks Band–Fish Out Of Water

Rusty Hicks Band is from Corpus Christi, Texas, playing Country, Americana, Country Rock & Blues Music. You might remember Rusty from last month’s contest, when his song “Cruisin” came in in 15th place. We did an interview with him, anyway, which should be on here somewhere. I decided I really want him to compete in the finals in December, so I brought him back this month with another song that he sent me, “Fish Out Of Water”, which, he says, has an interesting story behind it, so be sure to vote him into the top 10, so we can have him back on again to tell us about it. Rusty and his family moved to Corpus Christi about 10 months ago from Seattle, and he now runs Rusty Metal Records here. Before he moved here, he was in several different bands in the Washington state area, starting in the late 1980’s, such as The Winchester Band, The Long Riders & The FireCreek Band. For more info on Rusty Hicks, check out his RN page, www.reverbnation.com/therustyhicksband which also has a link to his Facebook page…

Southern Fryde Inc–Snow Stomp

Southern Fryde Inc is from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, playing Rock, Southern Rock, Country, Alternative Country, & Outlaw Music. They’re a 6-man group consisting of Ddroyd on vocals, Dave Allan on guitar, Stu Brandon on guitar & vocals, Cruz on bass, Roy Cunningham on keyboards & vocals, & JP Esser on drums. The band is a group of long-time friends who have been playing music in bands with & without each other for over 25 years. They’ve been in several contest on HTB this year, but have yet to make it into the top 5. I brought them back again this month, because they deserve a spot in the finals! I’ve chosen their song “Snow Stomp” this month, and I hope ya’ll like it as much as I do. They’ve just come out with their debut cd “Deep Fryde”, which they sent me and I’ve added to the rotation of my show. By the way, if you’re in Corunna, Ontario, Canada on Sunday, Sept. 4th, you can spend an evening with SFI at Millstock. For more info on Southern Fryde Inc, check out their website, www.southernfrydeinc.com, where you can buy their cd, or their RN page, www.reverbnation.com/southernfrydeinc…

Waylon Pierce & The Kings Of Texas–Drinking Man

Waylon Pierce & The Kings Of Texas are from Ft. Worth, Texas, playing Texas Country Music.  They’re a 4-man band, consisting of Waylon Pierce on lead vocals & guitar, Troy Powers on vocals & lead guitar, his cousin, Freddie Powers II on drums, acoustic guitar & vocals, & Eric “Harpoon” Standlee on back-up vocals, mandolin & harmonica. They currently have 2 top 10 singles and one top 50 single on the Texas Music Charts, so I thought I’d bring them on here to see if they can make it to the top of the Hossey Music Charts, as well. This is another group that I had a hard time choosing which song I liked best to put in this contest. Especially noteworthy were such songs as “Texas 2 A T”, “The Speed Of Coors Light”, “Hands Of Time”, and “Right Outside Beaumont” , all of which you’ll hear on my DJ show Sunday night, September 4th, including the song “Drinking Man”, which I decided would be their entry this month. For more info on Waylon Pierce & The Kings Of Texas, visit their RN page, www.reverbnation.com/waylonandthekingsoftexas, where you can download several of their songs for free, including “Drinking Man”. It also has links to their Twitter & Facebook pages…

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.

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My previous Hossey Music Award Picks

November 2008 | December 2008 | January 2009 | February 2009 | April 2009 | May 2009 | June 2009 | July 2009 | August 2009 | September 2009 | October 2009 | November 2009 | January 2010 | February 2010 | March 2010 | April 2010 | May 2010 | June 2010 | July 2010 | August 2010 | September 2010 | November 2010 | January 2011 | February 2011 | March 2011 | April 2011 | May 2011 | June 2011 | July 2011 | August 2011