One of the most recognized names among the Oklahoma music culture, Cody Canada trails a 30-year music footprint stemming from the renowned music scene referred to as Red Dirt. A road warrior and prolific songwriter, Canada was the frontman of Cross Canadian Ragweed, a wildly influential band that commanded the Red Dirt scene for more than a decade selling millions of albums while also dominating the live music circuit nationwide until their split in 2010. In 2011, Canada and bassist Jeremy Plato formed The Departed, a hard-edged power trio along with drummer Eric Hansen that has since carried on in that gritty and lyrically provocative style that keeps packed crowds hanging on every word. The Departed has released 6 studio albums, several of those hitting 3 different Billboard charts. Since 2020, The Departed has released 5 standalone singles that were recorded at their own 36 B Studios. Their latest single “Elle” hit the Top 10 on the CDX chart. Canada's music imprint is well noted; from several articles in Rolling Stone deeming him a legacy artist and a key influencer to a standing ovation at the iconic Ryman Auditorium, to tribute albums and songs about his significance to his own exhibit in his home state at the Oklahoma Pop Museum coming in 2025.
Veteran singer-songwriter and honky tonk luminary, Matt Hillyer, is at his finest on his new album Bright Skyline. One of the many genuine articles that call Dallas-based State Fair Records home, Hillyer’s journey from rockabilly roots to western swing, outlaw country, and traditional honky-tonk country steal the show on these eleven vibrant tracks. If Hillyer’s voice sounds familiar, it should. For 23 years, he fronted the legendary honky-tonk band Eleven Hundred Springs, touring the world and releasing more than a dozen albums. Bright Skyline is produced by John Pedigo (Vandoliers, Old 97's) and showcases a range fine-tuned over three decades playing Texas dance halls and listening rooms.
“Matt Hillyer may be the most unsung Texas singer/songwriter alive today that is that hidden treasure when people discover him and his
music.”
-Dale Watson
“Nobody else really plays that style of country as he fuses rockabilly and classic country guitar solos with heartfelt songs. And
lately I’ve had the revelation that Matt is one of the best lyricists that I have ever heard.”
-The Reverend Horton Heat
Deep in the Purgatoire River Valley in the southern Colorado mountains sits the bucolic village of Weston, an unincorporated community that is home to the Monument Lake Resort and the one-of-a-kind Caveman Music Festival. A pristine landscape undiscovered but by the adventurous few, Weston is small-town nirvana, and there is no place in the whole of the United States better fitted for an event as equally unique. The Caveman Music Festival features three days of eclectic music with tastes that range from Americana to country to psychedelic to rock ‘n’ roll, and unlimited natural resources for the true “pathfinder.” Take the ultimate road trip away from the sweltering summer heat and up into the cooler climes to enjoy camping, fishing, kayaking, hiking, and the best live music on the mountain top. The 3rd Annual Caveman Music Festival happens Labor Day weekend at the Monument Lake Resort, August 30th through September 1st. The 2024 lineup features The Red Clay Strays, The Wallflowers, Toadies, Kurt Vile & the Violators, Uncle Lucius, Red Shahan, Jamestown Revival, Band of Heathens, Emily Wolfe, The Droptines, Stephen Wilson Jr., Sir Woman, Taddy Porter, Drayton Farley, Buffalo Hunt, Midnight River Choir, Charlie Shafter, and more.
Tickets and accommodation
packages can be purchased at www.cavemanmusicfestival.com or by calling (719) 680-0580.
The Pleasures is fronted by renowned singer-songwriter Catherine Britt and modern-day troubadour Lachlan Bryan. Together they produce a sound that is raucous and blues-inspired, interrupted by delicate moments of sublime country folk. They bring all their experience and humanity to this band, as well as two of the most authentic and character-filled voices you'll hear this or any other year. Their debut album The Beginning of the End spent three months on the Americana Album Chart and The Pleasures toured in the US and the UK to a rapturous reception in 2023. The made their official show case at Folk Alliance International in 2023 and will make their official Americana Music Festival showcase in 2024.
Folking.com
“They might get labelled ‘country’, but there’s as much Jack White influence here as
there is George Jones (in fact there’s plenty of both), alongside the plethora of mythologized girl-boy country acts with whom they will inevitably draw comparison”
Americana UK
“Each song is most definitely a performance in itself with Britt and Bryan duetting well together and creating
musical-theatre-like imagery. Britt demonstrates her powerhouse of a vocal which is underpinned by Bryan’s measured accompaniment.”
Bernard Zuel
“A classic duets album where love isn’t merely dangerous, but it should be illegal in every state: a mess of fireball,
spitball and vitriol that makes Tammy and George look like romantic softies!”
Multi award winning singer/songwriter/entertainer, Dallas Moore, has fittingly earned a reputation as “the hardest working man in honky tonk.” Performing an astounding 300 plus dates a year, every single year without fail, this hardcore troubadour has been applauded by significant outlets like Saving Country Music, No Depression, Holler Country, Glide Magazine, Americana UK and Country Music People Magazine. With a career spanning over 25 years and plenty of gas still in the tank, Dallas Moore returns with his 18th full length album Gems & Jams (Sol Records) on August 9th, 2024. Gems & Jams features a unique mix of newly written originals along with newly arranged acoustic versions of deep catalog cuts which have been out of print for many years. This collection of 15 songs are in their most raw, pure and authentic forms, perfect in their imperfections cultivated from minimalistic production and without overdubs. Over 600k Spotify listeners, over 6 million streams, and one of the most heavily played artists on Sirius/XM’s “Outlaw Country” channel, this iconic artist has garnered the reverence of multiple generations who consider him to be the torchbearer for the outlaw country flame.
Saving Country Music
“Dallas Moore is one of the most legit guys out there. He’s the kind of country music outlaw many want to imitate, but few have the fortitude to emulate. He went from being one of the young whipper snappers out there trying to keep the legacy of the ol’ country music alive, to someone who’s carved out his own legacy, and now has the younger guys looking up to him.”
No Depression
“I went to his show with intentions of interviewing Dallas and taking notes to write a review of the show. What happened is I also became a fan. I was blown away by his finger bleeding, masterful guitar skills. Me and the audience was glued to him like everyone with a television set was when Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon.”
Waves is comprised of five friends who met through School of Rock New Braunfels, a special kind of music school that holds “live performance” as the pinnacle of academic excellence. Peyton Glasco (18), Elysha LeMaster (17), Luke Wilson (16), Willy Canada (13) and Dierks Canada (16) started their journey together in 2019. Their debut EP “Take It Or Leave It” produced by AJ Vallejo features 6 songs written exclusively by the band and gives off sparks of punk, pop and alternative metal set alight by the R&B influenced vocal stylings of Elysha LeMaster. In only 3 years Waves has snagged shows at some very reputable venues and festivals including Mile 0 Fest in Key West, Florida. Two of the band members represented the New Braunfels branch of School of Rock with a performance at the Rock in Rio festival in Portugal in 2022 with some of the biggest names in rock and pop music like Black Eyed Peas, Liam Gallagher, Post Malone, The National, and Muse.