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 a few is always the hardest part of my month. Oh well. Such is life.

David Tew – Memory of the Train

Dave sent me this dang song a few weeks ago, and it’s definitely been on my mind as I’ve watched with sadness the good people of Corpus Christi flock to the two new Super Wal Mart stores that have opened here in the last two weeks. (A third one is coming soon. Geez! I really do miss that two-lane, mostly dirt road that used to lead to the spot where the third one is being built. There was a supposedly haunted old airplane hanger on that property 30 years ago. My friends and I never did see any dang ghosts in there, but, then, we never did stay past dark. In fact, we always got out of there by about 4 p.m., just to be safe.) I knew immediately that David and I (and hundreds of other HTB listeners) are kindred spirits. This beautiful piece of autobiographical work came from him not long after I wrote to tell him I was making this song one of my November picks.

“I grew up in a small town in Southeastern North Carolina. Looking back, we were poorer than I thought we were. I can remember mama scratching around to find enough change to buy us a pepsi-cola. I’d ride my bike a quarter mile down the road to the country store and bring that pepsi back with my mouth watering all the way back home. I really miss those days of the country store with the old men gathered around the wood heater solving the problems of the world. I think too many people have forgotten where they came from. The song “The Memory Of The Train” was inspired by the many small towns that sprung up when the railroad came through this area of North Carolina and how many of those same towns now sit only as a reminder of days gone by.

Dave’s website  is www.davidtewmusic.com and he also has some music at www.reverbnation.com/davidtew .

Ellie May Kay – More of What Matters

I thought ya’ll would surely go for Ellie May’s first big single “Girl With A Fishin’ Rod” when I put it in the contest this summer, but it ended up gettin’ eliminated early on. Several since have since emailed me asking for more Ellie May, though. So, as usual, you people confuse the hell out of me! That’s okay in this case, though, since I really dig Ellie May’s style. This is her second single, and I hope ya’ll give it a little more love this time, dang it! (We need to mention that Jamey Johnson is the writer of this beautiful little diddy.) I think this is the perfect song to get us all in the proper mood for all the time we’re going to be spending with friends and family in the next few weeks.  Check out Ellie and her cool little story about how she got into music at elliemaykay.com.

Till the Shine Wears Off – Walkin Slow

This cool little acoustic band is led by Fredrick Culver, yet another singer to make the show from Memphis, Tennessee. In fact, Fred sent me this song because he got wind of this little deal from his friend Memphis friend Dorothy Guinn who was in the contest just last month (and is going to be a guest DJ in February). Ya’ll need to check out the other stuff that Fred has posted here. Very nice. Very eclectic.

Fronz Arp – Love is a Cruel Machine

Yep, I’m giving my very intelligent and fun (although, if his music is any indication, it seems he does have more than his share of troubles with love) friend from Australia yet another try on the show. (Well, to call him a friend is a bit of a stretch. We’ve only shared a handful of emails together, but how can you listen to this guy’s music and not feel like you’ve known him well for years.) You dang voters haven’t been overly kind ole’ Fronz in month’s past. But this guy definitely deserves to be in the dang finals! Ya’ll get him there, dang it! (Or else you can expect more of him in 2012! Well, you can probably expect more of him in 2012 anyway.) Check Fronz out more of Fronz’s music here.

Paul Carrella – Red Sole Woman

This guy grew up in Glasgow, Scottland? I just checked again to make sure that Glasgow is not some dang tiny town in Texas. (We do, afterall,have a Rome, and a Paris, and there’s even a little village called London just outside of Corpus Christi.) Paul’s music is about as Texan as you’re going to get, but, surprisingly, he’s never stepped foot in the United States. That’s okay, though, if you can’t get out to see him playin’ in Glasgow, London, or whereever else he’s playing around the UK, you can catch him here on HossTheBoss.com quite frequently. Paul was a 2010 finalist in these dang Hossey Awards, and he’s even been a guest DJ a time or two. I’m a bit embarrassed that I neglected to include him on this silly little show in 2011, though.  Oh well, such is life. I’ve got him in back in in the nick of time. He’s back in now with his new dang song (and it’s definitely a goodin’). Check him out on the web. You can find him on Facebook and Twitter, and you can check out his video of this song (combined with Ring of Fire) on Muzu.tv. (The videos on that site with the most daily views get prizes. So help out ole’ Paul, dang it!)

I’m lookin’ forward to catchin’ up with ole’ Paul during interview week, dang it!

Red Eye Carl – Life’s a Beach

You noticed a theme to my picks yet? Most of the bands I’m picked this month are people who I REALLY want to see in the dang finals for 2011, and this is your last shot at doing the right thing, dear voters. Dang it! Please don’t keep ignoring my buddy Red Eye (who really is a descendant of the notorious Pirate Carl Lafitte). This is some new stuff from him, and he’s gettin’ better with age. (Not, that’s not a nice way of saying he’s cheesy or likes to whine.) Red Eye Carl lives on the Gulf Coast of Texas in Freeport, Texas (smack dab in the middle of Ron Paul’s congressional district, so you know it’s a crazy place). I used to run a little newspaper there, and boy do I have some Freeport stories. I’d LOVE to get Carl on for interview week. Get him in the Top 10, dang it! Check Carl and his Pirates out at www.myspace.com/redeyecarlandthepirates

Sam Watson & Christian Harber (The Story) – Fall

Sam is a HossTheBoss.com All Star from waaaaay back. (In fact, I think she was in our very first contest back in 2008.)  She lives in Midland, Texas where oil, high school football and George W. Bush are supposedly kings, but I’ve never heard her talk about any of that. All I know Sam for is her amazingly intricate, intelligent and deeply spiritual songwriting. (Definitely not the stereotype of West Texas.) Sam’s songs all have many different intriguing layers and I consider her to be as good as they get. All that said, I looked at my list of 2011 entries and was very disappointed with myself for not having made her one of my picks this year before now. Dang! What was I thinking? Oh well… ya’ll still have time to get her into the finals for this year with this song that she did with her life-long friend Christian Harber (formerly of the Harber and Miller Band). Check her out at www.myspace.com/samdwatson/music. And check Christian out at www.myspace.com/cihguitar.

Tedd Rodman – Driving Through Texas With Willie

Thanks to Tedd for sending me this deal a few weeks back. I don’t know anything about Tedd other than what he sings about in the song, but I do know that I like his style. Check out the video for this song at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttm0i6YJT8U. Let’s see if we can’t make this one of them “viral” videos. What do ya’ll say.

Vic Holdroyd – California Here I Come (sung by John Taylor)

Vic Holdroyd says he writes songs as a hobby, but he ain’t your typical hobbyist.  This song has already been nominated for Original Song of The Year at the latest British Country Music Association Awards. And that’s just the start of the accolades Vic has received for his writing. Vics songs have been covered by genuine country music stars from across the UK (and, as listeners on this side of the Atlantic are starting to realize, the country music scene is in full swing  over there. Who knew?) Let’s see … Here’s some of the names of people who have recorded Vic’s songs of late: Dutch singer Janet Bodewes, English singer Kym Kelly, Shannon Buston and Sharon Herron of Ireland, and Darren Busby has included 5 songs from Vic on an album that has been nominated for the BCMA’s Album of the Year. And Vic has built this name for himself all while battling a host of long-standing health troubles, including cancer, heart disease, and the loss of his mother to cancer in 2007.  Oh yeah… did I mention that he’s 65 dang years old, too! Geez!  This guy is as inspirational as they come! This song features singer John Taylor who is also the well established producer who has helped young country star Nathan Carter rise to fame all across the UK in recent months.  Wow. Ya’ll better vote for Vic to put in him the Top 10 so he qualifies for Interview Week. This is one dang story we all gotta hear! Check Vic out at www.vicholdroyd.com.

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