As a kid, some of the fondest memories I have involve me driving around the countryside in upstate New York with my dad blasting a Johnny Cash cassette tape. In fact, the only music I really knew was that "western twang" always coming from the radio. But with all the country music I grew up listening to, I can't say I ever really knew much about Texas country. Well fast-forwarding 20 years to now, I find myself in Austin, Texas living amongst the herds of Texans flocking to all of the shows surrounding this local, popular genre. And you can bet your ten gallon hat that I'm dancing right along with them and doing my best to keep up with the catchy Texan lyrics.
Thus far, my most favorite Texan music citing was on Friday, October 29th. I made my way over to the Nutty Brown Cafe for the first time where I was more than ecstatic to see the Randy Rogers Band perform in the packed venue. The band came out fully dressed in their Halloween gear imposing various characters from the original Karate Kid. Randy Rogers himself led the band as Mr. Miyagi and the rest of the cast played their hearts out on their various instruments. They performed a few of their older songs but it seemed to me they focused on a lot of the material from their latest album, "Burning the Day", which debuted late this summer. As for the crowd, it was clear that everyone knew the majority of their set because everyone who surrounded me on this chilly evening were singing every word right along with Mr. Rogers.
As the show progressed, the hit new single "Interstate" was performed and shortly after, "Missing You is More Than I Can Do", which Randy Rogers' proclaimed as his "Austin Song", was played as well. The band also announced prior to performing "Steal You Away", that it would be the newest song to hit the radio waves thanks to local supporters such as 98.1 KVET. Furthermore, the incredible fiddle skills played by Brady Black is certainly worth mentioning . Dressed as the infamous character Daniel-son from Karate Kid, Mr. Black really captivated the crowd with his hypnotic fiddle solos throughout the show.
There are always new things to discover when moving from place to place. Being new to Texas has left me with a lot to explore and most of all; it has introduced me to Texas country music. If you get the chance, please try to fit Randy Rogers Band into your schedule. They are incredibly talented musicians and they'll give you a show you will want to revisit time and time again. And in the meantime, go out and purchase their new CD which can be found at almost any local record store. There's really no reason to wait. And for those skeptical folks, get a preview at Randyrogersband.com. Enjoy!
By Cassandra Grabowski
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