LONE STAR STATE OF MIND
Closing down the stockyards? I hate to hear that but it doesn't surprise me. As a matter of fact, it speaks to what I am talking about. Change. The Stockyards was one of the places left that were indictive of Texas music. The White Elephant Pub and Poor David's in Dallas were hold outs against a lot of changes in Texas and I had great times there. Also playing in Austin, but I can't remember the place on 6th Street I played. It was HUGE and had an enormous mural of Stevie Ray Vaugn on the back wall. That was tough cause there was only about six people in the place in what looked like an airport hanger. Everything's big in Texas.
I don;t really want to get too much into Texas music and politics because, I'm not in Texas. I just see what goes on around the world, see things that happen in different markets, know what has happened here and get insight on what happens there from people I know from there. One guy I know has a corporate big band in Houston that plays on weekends and comes here during the week to write and perform, and network. He's been doing that for ten years. I know a lot of people that go back and forth and love em all.
I appreciate the independence of Texas, but that is tough when people want to come here. The entire State of Texas is built on rugged individualism, and the state of the Nashville music industry is built on team work. People can do a lot more on their own there than here, but here they HAVE to play on teams. It is just how the industry is. A lot of frustration comes from Texas artists and writers when they come here and suddenly everything is done by committee. It's why they don't usually last here.
And the money is not the same. Pat Green, a Texas legend, got a deal here several years ago and had a few medium sized hits. But never broke here like he did in Texas. He finally moved back saying "He couldn't take the pay cut." I do understand that. It is probably the biggest NICHE market there is. But it is a niche.
Nashville, and most of the country music industry has to worry about Des Moinse Iowa, Rockford Ill., Muncie Indiana, Stockton California, and all kinds of little cities and towns around the country, in Europe and Canada. That is what makes for an International movement and why you have artists like Keith Urban, Ed Sheeran, Steven Tyler, and all these other people coming to Nashville. It is more of an International appeal. Texas artists and writers tend to only care about Texas. That too, is fine, but they can't blame Nashville when it doesn't work that way.
And Justin, one reason I'm going to have to dissagree with you on the "Hat act making a comeback" and say that just ain't gonna happen, is because the more and more urban we get in Country music, the less and less connection people have with cowboy hats. You are now looking at a third generation who are far away from the tractor, the horse, the plow, etc. And cowboy hats. They haven't been around except as novelty outside of Texas. And people that wear them here (which are almost nobody) get made fun of with the whole "Hey, why don't you get along little doggie back to Ft. Worth."
Not fair, but it is what it is.
Closing down the stockyards? I hate to hear that but it doesn't surprise me. As a matter of fact, it speaks to what I am talking about. Change. The Stockyards was one of the places left that were indictive of Texas music. The White Elephant Pub and Poor David's in Dallas were hold outs against a lot of changes in Texas and I had great times there. Also playing in Austin, but I can't remember the place on 6th Street I played. It was HUGE and had an enormous mural of Stevie Ray Vaugn on the back wall. That was tough cause there was only about six people in the place in what looked like an airport hanger. Everything's big in Texas.
I don;t really want to get too much into Texas music and politics because, I'm not in Texas. I just see what goes on around the world, see things that happen in different markets, know what has happened here and get insight on what happens there from people I know from there. One guy I know has a corporate big band in Houston that plays on weekends and comes here during the week to write and perform, and network. He's been doing that for ten years. I know a lot of people that go back and forth and love em all.
I appreciate the independence of Texas, but that is tough when people want to come here. The entire State of Texas is built on rugged individualism, and the state of the Nashville music industry is built on team work. People can do a lot more on their own there than here, but here they HAVE to play on teams. It is just how the industry is. A lot of frustration comes from Texas artists and writers when they come here and suddenly everything is done by committee. It's why they don't usually last here.
And the money is not the same. Pat Green, a Texas legend, got a deal here several years ago and had a few medium sized hits. But never broke here like he did in Texas. He finally moved back saying "He couldn't take the pay cut." I do understand that. It is probably the biggest NICHE market there is. But it is a niche.
Nashville, and most of the country music industry has to worry about Des Moinse Iowa, Rockford Ill., Muncie Indiana, Stockton California, and all kinds of little cities and towns around the country, in Europe and Canada. That is what makes for an International movement and why you have artists like Keith Urban, Ed Sheeran, Steven Tyler, and all these other people coming to Nashville. It is more of an International appeal. Texas artists and writers tend to only care about Texas. That too, is fine, but they can't blame Nashville when it doesn't work that way.
And Justin, one reason I'm going to have to dissagree with you on the "Hat act making a comeback" and say that just ain't gonna happen, is because the more and more urban we get in Country music, the less and less connection people have with cowboy hats. You are now looking at a third generation who are far away from the tractor, the horse, the plow, etc. And cowboy hats. They haven't been around except as novelty outside of Texas. And people that wear them here (which are almost nobody) get made fun of with the whole "Hey, why don't you get along little doggie back to Ft. Worth."
Not fair, but it is what it is.
So, I wouldn't get ahead of myself on the "Texas takeover" thing. Yeah, there are a lot of Texas artists that come here, and some do well. But do a little digging and you will find they are playing on teams. They have to. There are a lot of artists from Oklahoma, Carolina, Alabama and Georgia here too. Got to keep it in perspective.
Wes, you have to get out however you can. The reason I mentioned Justin to you in the first place is that he was exactly where you are now a couple years ago. And I know distance ,your health all play a factor. That is another reason for teamwork.
On this site, if you want to know about distance, try John Westwood and Arty Rocks. They live in AUSTRAILIA, where your five hour drive is an afternoon outing for them. You could put Texas INTO Australia. They are about a TEN HOUR drive just to go get a beer. So it's all relative.
And as far as disability. Another guy you need to reach out to is WAGS. He lives in Missouri and drops by from time to time. Through this site he hooked up with Matt Casey, another member who drops by from time to time. (There's a lot of that that goes around! LOL!) Through their combined efforts, the wrote a song, PLAIN WHITE TEE, which won the NSAI songwriting contest about three years ago. Since then Matt has formed his own publishing company and represents some of Wag's songs. They both have other things going on, as we all do, but it does speak to how team work comes in.
What you and Justin are trying to do is the same thing. Working with artists, other writers, building your own teams. I think you have to find the right people, in fact, a TON of right people. But I think it can be done. Now, again, as always I tell you to keep your expectations level and goals ACHIEVABLE. That is the key. If one of those dreams are hearing your song on the radio, stay at that. It might be on the radio the same way Justin's are out there, Might be Texas radio or might be bigger. Stranger things have happened. But just keep at it. Write and enjoy yourself.
You Damn Texans might succeed despite yourselves. LOL!
MAB
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