Artists

Matt Hillyer spent over two decades fronting the legendary honky-tonk band Eleven Hundred Springs, the standard for what a swingin' Texas country band should be.  Now Hillyer taps a fresh spring on his new solo album “Glorieta.”  With the release of this new solo album, Hillyer doesn't begin a post-Eleven Hundred Springs life as much as continues the dance he began decades ago.  Classic country themes mixed with Hillyer's instantly recognizable voice makes for the best type of new music, familiar yet challenging all at once. 

JD Graham officially enters his name into the songwriting annals with the release of his new album “A Pound Of Rust.”  Recorded at the Skinny Elephant in East Nashville and produced by Neilson Hubbard (Glen Phillips, Mary Gauthier, Kim Richey, Ben Glover, Amy Speace) and acclaimed songwriter Ryan Culwell, this spacious group of songs are the uninhibited testimony of a man with nothing left to lose.  No bells and whistles, just Graham and his guitar, the album’s atmosphere is as raw as its telling captured in a live performance setting. Song after song the listener is seized and silenced as the weight of Graham’s sincerity welcomes you into this hallowed chamber.  JD is what you call a songwriter’s songwriter, a man who keeps a crowd hanging on his every word.  “A Pound Of Rust” is an actual lifetime in the making, and it encapsulates the full culmination of the man who stands before you today. 

Glide Magazine
 

“Singer-songwriter JD Graham’s 'A Pound of Rust 'is easily one of the most devastating albums of its kind that this writer has heard in the past few years. The impact of the album is almost beyond words. This writer played it all the way through and was so compelled by Graham’s stories, that the record played a second time completely through.  This is not something you casually slip into your player. You will likely hang on to every confessional word about loss, grief, breakup, and self-doubt, and redemption. this is as real as it gets.” 

Americana Highways

“With the opening tunes, there’s a variety of influences. But unlike the singer-songwriters with the darker edges and gruff voices, JD Graham mines a rich field of edgy subjects with an articulate voice.  ‘A Pound of Rust’ is explicit and distinguished, and the songwriting is consistently compelling.”
 

In the predominantly country music community in Texas where he “made his bones,” the brawny guitarist has resolutely blurred the lines dividing country and rock to establish his personalized Americana rock style.  His new album “I’m Sorry, I’m Fine” comes out strong, a muscled body of work in deep flex, ready to tangle despite its apologetic title.  Ever true to Gilliam’s hallmark sound, this album is a mixed bag of sonic goods with a girth too wide to fit in any one genre box, but one thing you can always count on is that he is going to bring in big guitars.   Each song has its own build, distinct personality and unique voice, and each one has earned a right to stand as its own volume within a grander series. 

Anyone who has witnessed a performance from Drew Cooper can testify to experiencing a stirring of the soul kind of sensation as the music washes over.  The husky, soul soaked baritone of his voice is no doubt the very foundation his entire sound is built on.  His songs talk about every damn thing and his chops as a storyteller has propelled him into the songwriting cirles in Texas and Los Angeles.  Part 1 of his new double album “This Life” is a bold statement of accountability.  It’s honest, real life situations, sometimes hard, sometimes soft, that come to life through a mighty heart and an equally strapping voice that commands attention. 

PopMatters
 

“A soaring anthem about self-accountability. Drew Cooper writes working man’s Americana. Instantly identifiable by his throaty, soulful vocals, Cooper’s latest continues to ride between contemporary country and rock influences.”  

Rocking The Magpie
 

“When this album arrived on a busy day a voice from Hades crawled out of the car speakers singing Angel From Montgomery …… YES PLEASE!  There’s a rare fluency to this album; even if my words on individual songs don’t point in that direction; but with a voice as distinctive as Drew Cooper’s everything he ever sings will sound like him and no one else. This is very much my type of Country Music; and me and you will treasure this album, plus future and past releases like family heirlooms.”

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.  It goes by many names; some call it alt-country, some folk rock, some Americana, but no matter what you call it, the genre boasts an elite list of songwriters whose anthemic works have agelessly traversed decades and risen to legendary status.   For over 15 years Canada fronted the aggressive country rock band Cross Canadian Ragweed, touring giants that dominated the live music circuit nationwide until their break up in 2010.  In 2011, Canada and bassist Jeremy Plato formed The Departed, a power trio along with drummer Eric Hansen, and since then has carried on in that gritty and lyrically provocative style that keeps packed crowds hanging on every word. On July 1^st, Cody Canada and The Departed released the reboot of the cult classic album “Soul Gravy” bringing the sound back to its roots featuring a return appearance from Lee Ann Womack and performances from some key folks who helped shape the original album. The new single "Again" features longtime comrade Randy Rogers.

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.