Being in Texas makes me a bit partial to artists from our state. But there’s a few things to clarify with people when you reference Texas and the people you’re talking to are not from there. Let’s face it, we all have our assumptions and stigmas we place on people. There are a few that come with the Lone Star State for people who don’t live here or have been around here. First off, we’re not all cowboys. I’m especially not a cowboy. I do live in a small town that’s sort of out in the country. But I do drive a truck. I do like to shoot guns on a range or occasional hunting. And I do wish I had a voice like Sam Elliott. I don’t. That’s about as cowboy as I am. I don’t wear boots, or a cowboy hat. I don’t wear Wranglers. I don’t ride a horse but I do enjoy doing that when I can. I especially don’t enjoy country music, the kind that involves songs about either getting drunk and not knowing that the girl you went home with from the bar looks more like a mule than a movie star, or the ones written in a fo-emotional sense that’s obviously trying to get someone to cry listening to it. Not a fan. So……….when I want to start talking about some great emerging Texas singer-songwriters, I feel that I need to set the pieces straight first so that there’s not any unnecessary assumptions made before I get to the good stuff.


Are you with me still?


Good. I’ve long been a fan of the female voice. It’s beautiful, in a way that’s more like a sweet apple pie than what you might find in a thick pound cake. That analogy might not make much sense to anyone but me. I like the high tones the female voice can reach. I like the way the vocal range can fluctuate in ways the male voice can’t. And let’s face it, there’s just something really cool about a lady that can sing and not have to belt it out. While there’s a time and place for vocalists like Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston, that’s not the cup of tea of want to drink as often as I do the vocals of, say Brandi Carlile or Sara Bareilles.

With that in mind, you need to hear Sahara Smith. She’s from our beloved state and sings about the various degrees of love from romance to loneliness and love not returned. Her album Myth Of The Heart can be found at iTunes, Amazon, and other online locations. Two of my favorite tracks from the album are Midnight Plane and Are You Lonely (the single her management is pushing). The whole album is full of great music that verges on the cusp of country but never crosses that threshold. The songs are beautifully written and majestically performed. I’ll be featuring her music in an upcoming episode of The Appetizer. In the mean time, you can listen to more of her music and find more information here.

We’ll be on our 3rd hour of Tasty Tracks on this weekend’s presentation of The Appetizer. First off, if you haven’t already, surf over here and Like us on Facebook. I’d really appreciate it.

Back to what’s coming up this weekend. If you haven’t heard the alt. rock group Young The Giant, then you’re in store for a real treat. Their song My Body was the free iTunes single a few weeks back, and it’s been in regular rotation in my office for the past few weeks. These California rockers’ influences and style are a metaphor for the diversity of the band themselves, comprised of various ethnic backgrounds like British, Indian, French-Canadian, and Persian.

Other great acts featured this weekend include the husband and wife duo known as Tennis. Before Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore set sail on the Atlantic for a several month vacation, they were individual singer/songwriters who had individual careers in music. Their voyage on the ocean changed that. Upon returning, they began crafting their stories into songs together. Branding themselves as a Lo-Fi Pop sound, or a Brian Wilson meets Daniel Johnston, these Denver musicians have taken on the name Tennis, and their album Cape Dory showcases their collective songwriting talents.

I love cover songs. To me, it’s a reinterpretation of art. The analogy that makes most sense to me is found in pictures and art. I’m a bit of a comicbook nerd and there are some classic comic book covers going back to the silver age and golden age of comics. When modern artists do their own rendition of those classic covers, which either different characters or a modern look for the character, that’s a version of “covering” something in reinterpretation. I especially like it when you take a song written in one particular style and reinterpret it in a completely different style. I’ll show you what I’m referring to this weekend when we hear some Green Day reinterpreted in a blue grass sound. Even if you’re not a bluegrass fan, you’ll still dig it.

A few weeks ago I blogged about discovering this great dance-rock band called Geographer. I’ve got a track from their Animal Shapes release that you’ll certainly want to pick up. Also music from alt. country band The Bridge and the Shins later in the hour. And I’ll introduce you to Nicole Atkins, a great new singer-songwriter with a new album called Mondo Amore.

All this and more coming up on the next presentation of The Appetizer.