Texas Country | Down Home Traveler

Once upon a time, there was a girl who fell in love with a band. Not just the band, more so the lead singer Evan, who she wanted to marry. (This would be a good time to interject that this girl isn’t me, but a friend.) She would catch every single show that she could, with friends and her future husband (who isn’t Evan). That’s right, future husband. It’s a common joke that she was going to run off with Evan and get married and leave her fiance. Her husband-to-be isn’t worried.

This past Friday evening, we found ourselves at the World’s Largest Honky Tonk, front row reserved seats (thanks to another good friend) with Evan directly in front of us and one excited bride-to-be. It’s quite entertaining how excited she gets with this band but they’re that good that we all get excited about seeing them too and encourage the “running off with Evan before your wedding” story. It’s all in good fun! She’s not going anywhere.

Maybe you’ve heard me talk about the band before (here) – Turnpike Troubadours!

Turnpike is what we like to call a good ole Texas Country or Red Dirt band. They hail from Oklahoma and travel all over thru Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and now more throughout the South. If you’ve seen ’em, you’d love ’em. They’re songs are genuine and pretty soon you’ll find yourself singing along and looking for a partner to two-step.

Videos are a little shaky since I took them with my iPhone. Check out my YouTube page for more videos from the show (I’ll be uploading the rest tonight and tomorrow).

Now, the night wouldn’t have been complete without a proposal. No, it wasn’t between my friend and Evan, although that WOULD’VE been a sight to see. (I say this like it happens all the time at Billy Bob’s…. this is the first time I’ve seen a proposal on stage here.) Turnpike finished their performance and out walks this guy. You could tell he was a bit nervous and she was nervous to get on stage. After she said yes, we could see her say “You’re crazy!” to the man. Good job! Hope you guys are able to see this or at least a better video! Congrats!

It was a great show as usual. A little hard to get a beer but great company, awesome seats, even better entertainment. See you at the next show! (And Evan, you still have until March 30th to meet up with my friend!)

This is going to be part catch-up and part recent. One thing that I absolutely LOVE about Texas is the music scene. It’s pretty amazing! If you wanted, you could catch a different show each night between Ft. Worth, Denton and Dallas. One of the bands that I’ve come to love are the Dirty River Boys. Hailing from El Paso, they bring together the right amount of Texas Country mixed in with some bluegrass and a twist of rebellion. If you were to see them, you would know they’re in a band.

Back in December, they played their first show at Billy Bob’s in Ft. Worth. It’s a pretty big deal to play, one that you don’t turn down. Anyone who is anyone in the music business has played there… Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Garth Brooks, ZZ Top, the list is endless. So it was pretty cool being able to see them play their first gig at the historic venue.

Now for a little more recent news…

There is a restaurant / bar in Arlington, Texas called The Grease Monkey. It’s pretty fun to go to as you can grab a delicious burger and hang out (inside or out) and either watch some sporting events or listen to live music. Every once in a while, they will have a private show the venue is only open to those who have purchased a ticket. It’s limited seating so if you really love a band, seeing them in a small venue is the way to go! This past January, The Dirty River Boys played at the Grease Monkey and a couple of my friends were nice enough to buy me a ticket for Christmas! Lucky me (us really) – we were front row!

This may have been my favorite Dirty River Boys show to date! Midway thru the show they all switched instruments and played something different. If you happened to walk in during this time, you would never know. Talent, folks!