Bud Light Stage (see our schedule)

Whiskey Myers

Whiskey Myers
August 20

In a modest rent house in the small East Texas town of Elkhart, Cody Cannon and Cody Tate began to write music, dreaming of the success that is sure to follow. They incorporated the talent and imagination of guitarist John Jeffers, moved to Tyler and picked up drummer Jeff Hogg from Palestine, and bassist Gary Brown from Neches. Thus formed the band known as Whiskey Myers.

All over East Texas they emitted a sound unique to the country crowds. Whiskey Myers was hooked on performing and the crowds were hooked on them. An opportunity to open for Roger Creager in Gun Barrel City led to the following week's opening for The Eli Young Band. Popularity swells as people listen to their high energy twin guitars, soulful vocals, and unstoppable rhythm.

Whiskey Myers’ musical style is forged from several genres and eras . They take the blues rock genre and mix it with modern day Texas Country deriving a new sound that takes concert listeners on an atmospheric roller coaster. As music lovers all over Texas recognize their talent, Whiskey Myers shall be remembered for ages to come.

Dale Watson

Dale Watson
August 21

Championed by music critics, and both traditional as well as alternative country music fans, Dale Watson has maintained his image as a traditional, old style honky tonk musician.

Born and raised in the South, Watson wrote his first song at age 12 and made his first recording at age 14. He spent his first professional years playing at local clubs and honky tonks before migrating to California's alternative country scene. After a couple of singles, "One Tear at a Time" and "You Pour It On", plus contributions to compilation projects, Watson found work writing in Nashville.

After experiencing the world of commercial country music, Dale Watson decided he prefered the more progressive scene of Austin, Texas. Here he played with The Lone Stars and released his debut album, Cheatin' Heart Attack bringing immense vitality to a traditional vintage sound.

Watson is featured as a writer and performer in several movie sound tracks. He has had a few acting jobs and is featured in the lead role in the forthcoming Austin Angel.

Dale Watson is a member of the Austin Music Hall of Fame and continues to play locally and produce albums. His most recent releases are The Little Darlin' Sessions and The Truckin' Sessions vol 2.

Casey "Damn" James Band

Casey "Damn" James
August 22

Casey James was born in Detroit and raised in Henderson, Kentucky.  After moving to Texas in 2006 he started the band Kentucky Fried Texas and opened for Pearl Jam in 2006 for their album release in Dallas.  After joining the Stevie Ray Vaughn Tribute Band Voodoo Blue in 2007 Casey has played at an array of venues such as House of Blues, Hogs and Hills in Llano, Texas and has opened for Molly Hatchet and Blackfoot.  Casey has been nominated for two Grammy’s for Best Rock Album of the Year and Best Rock song of the Year, along with these accomplishments Casey has also been a featured artist for both the North Texas Blues Society and the W.C. Handy Blues Festival in Kentucky.

Travis Montoya grew up in Lewisville, Texas playing in the drum line at his local high school.  After playing in “Virginia Dare” band for 3 years he hooked up with Casey and joined the Stevie Ray Vaughn Tribute Band “Voodoo Blue” in 2009.  Shortly thereafter he and Casey teamed up with Bass player Kent Barrow to form the Casey Damn James Band.  Travis has played with artists Jaret  Reddick from Bowling for Soup and Jason Castro from American Idol.  He has played at Texas Motor Speedway, The Door, Curtain Club, and House of Blues.

Kent Barrow was hooked on music at an early age growing up watching his father sing in a band.  He picked up his first bass at 13 in Denton, Texas and continued playing for his middle and high school Jazz Bands and the church youth group.  Shortly after graduating he began playing for cover bands in venues like Billy Bob’s, North Texas State Fair and Rodeo, Texas Motor Speedway, Rockin’ Rodeo Denton, and the North Texas Arts and Jazz Festival.  During Kent’s career he has opened for artists such as Jack Ingram, Randy Travis, Shooter Jennings, and Pops Carter.  After meeting Casey, he quickly joined the Casey Damn James Band and the rest is history.

Since the start of the Casey Damn James Band in 2009, they have performed at an impressive collection of venues.  The boys of CJD have played at Texas Motor Speedway, Broiler Room, Rip Rocks, and most recently the Casey Damn James Band was featured in the 95.3 the Range Texas Music Showdown hosted by Brett Dillon held at the White Elephant Saloon in Ft. Worth where they made it to the final round by impressing judges such as Darryl Dodd, Larry Jo Taylor, Tommy Alverson, and Mike Mancy.

Brian Burns

Brian Burns
August 23

Brian Burns has, for many years, been regarded as one of Texas top performing songwriters, his work having been covered by a number of legendary artists. But over the past few years, Brian has emerged as one of his state's most powerful and engaging performers. His songs explore both the poignant and the humorous sides of humanity, drawing out the things weve all felt and wish we could have said. The warmth, wit, and eclecticism of his performances captivate audiences night after night.

Brian grew up in Central Texas listening to the western ballads of Marty Robbins and the progressive country music of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Early on, he developed an appreciation for musical depth, along with a knack for the story. Brians Texas roots remained an integral force in his life and work. Music is not a choice I made, I believe the choice made me.

Brian Houser

Brian Houser
August 23

Brian Houser was born on March 30, 1958 in St. Louis, Missouri. But, his roots grew deep in the country as he was raised in the rural Missouri countryside, just south of the city near the town of Antonia. The youngest of four children born to Brant and Jane, Brian grew up in a small house that his parents built with their own hands. Brant and Jane Houser were both actively interested in music and always had a wealth of instruments around the house while the children were growing up. This opportunity for musical exploration, combined with the musical interests of his older brother Doug, were to be the seeds that later would germinate into a musical career for Brian. In 1975, Doug took Brian to a Kris Kristofferson concert. This event was a turning point musically for Brian as he finally found a form of country music that spoke openly, honestly, and artistically about life and living. This would open the door to other legendary favorites, most notably Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash. (Pegasus News release)

Sonny Burgess

Sonny Burgess
August 23

Its a Texas thing that firm, confident handshake with the warm twinkle in his eye. Its a growin' up poor thing standing in his own two boots, reliable as the sun coming up. Its definitely a musical thing like a tree thats fed from its roots and grows strong and tall in a most delightful way. Its a lot of things that come down to one thing one man Sonny Burgess.

The natural ease he exudes on stage is a hint that this aint his first rodeo. Growing up in the sun burnt town of Cleburne, Texas, Sonny was constantly surrounded by the sounds & realities that are traditional country music. Just down the road from Fort Worth, Sonny was immersed in the music his family loved. Hank Williams, Glen Campbell, Roy Clark and Chet Atkins were the regular musical fare during the evenings as Sonny and family gathered on the front porch.

Inspired by the stories woven in the touching and haunting melodies, Sonny taught himself to play the guitar. Learning at the School of Hit Records and through an inherited musical ear (both his aunts and uncles made up a country group that toured throughout Texas), Sonny quickly grew into his own as a player and singer. And when he played for a live audience, he really liked how that felt. From his first public performance in the second grade, he was hooked.

Ryan Beaver

Ryan Beaver
August 24

When Ryan Beaver went onstage for his very first public performance, he tripped on the last step and nearly tool a serious stage dive – guitar and all. So he turned to the audience and said, “The told me to break a leg and I’m trying”. That’s the kind of chutzpah that drove Ryan to send his music to Lloyd Maines and request an opinion.

Born on St. Patrick’s Day in Emory Texas, he earned a degree in business from Texas State University in San Marcos in 2006, then went home for a year and worked in a bank while trying to decide whether he should pursue his musical dream. “It’s really been the thing I have done and done well. I told myself that it was gonna be a hard road. Sometimes you fight those things that are telling you you should do it. I finally quit fighting it.” The new Austin resident is working on doing just that, armed with quite a collection of tunes.

Keep an ear out for him; with his luck, pluck, and talent – and friends – don’t be surprised if he is picking up a Grammy or CMA Award. ⨪

Barret Turner

Barret Turner
August 24

Barret Turner is 19 years old and started playing in his home basement in Highland Village, Texas at the age of 13.  He started by just teaching himself how to play the guitar and writing songs about situations in his life.  After graduating from High School, Barret moved to Austin to expand his music career.  He hooked up with a recording studio called Lave Studio owned by Bryan Anderton and Associates.  Barret is in the process of recording a CD with the great musicians, bassist Jimmy Pettit, guitarist Bryan Anderton, and drummer Rob Schilz.  When the fall season starts he will be going to MediaTech for schooling to enhance his music.

Joey Green

Joey Green
August 24

North Texas music vet Joey Green just released his album, Whatever Lady?!, an ambitious new project that showcases his music like never before.

Leaving the full band at home, Joey once again hooks up with Fort Worth Sound Studio guru Bart Rose ( 2008's Vinyl Destination, Toadies, Green River Ordinance) and from the beginning they set out to make a record that would take Joey's songwriting to a new musical dimension.

At first, what started as a heart-on-his sleeve solo-acoustic EP in the summer of 09', quickly turned into a “labor of love” full length album. Picking, producing and arranging the tracks alongside Bart (yes, Joey Green is also an accomplished local music producer), had Joey creating music on his own terms. After two full band records and nine years of touring, it was a much needed respite from the daily grind of the music business for this singer/songwriter deep in the heart of North Texas.

What sets this new album apart from his others, besides the noticeable lack of telecast twang and happy go lucky rock n roll jams, is new material stripped down to its very basic musical core. The smart production and sharp mixes by producer Rose expose this 27 year olds unique vocal delivery, and the lyrics shine dramatically as a result. Joey's penchant for song selection and instrumental creativity help make this record a winner from the first hook. Cocky at times, of course. Full of Rock n Roll Swagger, you bet. Darkness and rage, why not. Joey lays it down thick and the music takes off on a path all its own.

The album kicks off with the bluesy, backwoods stomp of “Natchitoches Blues”, a personal ode to his father's Cajun upbringing down in the swamps of Louisiana. With this song currently exploding on radio playlists in Fort Worth and Stephenville, one can only wonder how long it will be before radio finds out about this young, obscure, and highly talented artist. Current fan favorite Heavy, penned by his writing partner and fellow Fort Worth good ole boy rocker Ryan McBride, is a song that already has the critics and Fort Worth hipsters buzzing. One listen to the musical depth of this album will have you unable to classify his sound, a definite nod to his dynamic songwriting ability and his rascally-rocking voice, which grabs on and refuses to let go.

This native of rural Joshua, Texas has silently logged over 250,000 miles criss-crossing Texas and Oklahoma, releasing his own brand of Red Dirt country rock that has him playing shows with some of Texas' newest crop of superstars. Many of whom, Casey Donahew, Kyle Bennett and Randy Rogers, come from the same Johnson County hotbed, a fertile breeding ground for Texas' newest batch of talent.

Whatever Lady?! is the third album for Green, previously having released his full band debut, Outside the Circle in 2004 and his sophomore follow-up on Smith Records, 2008's pop rock infused, Vinyl Destination.

Performing over 100 acoustic dates and over 100+ full band shows a year with his power-pop-meets-honky-tonk 4 piece band, Joey Green is quite possibly the best underground singer/songwriter in the state of Texas. With this new album it is only a matter of time before you will be singing the words to every song and if not... Joey simply has two words for you, "Whatever Lady?!"

Rayla Ray

Rayla Ray
August 24

Rayla Ray has performed with the Twister Radio Station at the Ft.Worth Stockyards, The Cotton Bowl (Red River Ode), Nascar, Rodeo's along with Casino's, Festivals and Weddings across Texas and Oklahoma. She has opened for several Nashville artists and is currently working out of Nashville, Tennessee with Producer/Song Writers Danny Wells ("Check yes or No", George Striat) and Richard Donahue ("Its the Lover", Tiffany) where she cut a two song Master "Exactly What I Didn't Want" and "Set it on Fire" with A players in Nashville, like Kerry Marx. Rayla Ray has a natural ability to connect with her audience, her vocals, and stage performance are amazing.

Zane Williams

Zane Williams
August 25

Zane Williams is a Texas singer-songwriter who combines folk, rock, honky-tonk and bluegrass influences when crafting his award-winning songs.  The fans he meets while touring steadily both as a solo act and with his illustrious band aren’t the only ones listening…in 2010, Jason Michael Carroll had a top 20 smash with the title track of Zane’s 2006 release “Hurry Home”.

Austin Cunningham

Austin Cunningham
August 25

Early on in his career, Garland, Texas native Austin Cunningham carved out a place for himself as a songwriter. He has had songs recorded by artists such as Hank Williams, Jr., Martina McBride, Dolly Parton, Wynonna, Chris Knight, Del McCoury, and the list goes on. He has songs on feature film soundtracks including Ashley Judd’s Where the Heart Is, and the Richard Gere/Winona Ryder film, Autumn in New York. Austin has performed at the Sundance Film Festival for the Bluebird Café On the Road series, and a few years back, was awarded the coveted Johnny Mercer Award for “Emerging American Songwriters”.

Although writing is Austin’s first passion, he is no slouch at performing, blazing a trail with live shows across the U.S. and is a favorite on the Texas Music Scene. With a strong voice and some of the best guitar playing you’ll ever hear, he always manages to captivate his audience. Whether performing an acoustic solo, or rocking the house with a strat and a full band, it is entertainment at it’s best. This is just good, roots music mixed with great stories, and is getting play on XM Radio’s X Country, as well as many Texas Stations.

Jon Christopher Davis

Jon Christopher Davis
August 25

After years of writing songs in Nashville for publishers, Warner Chappell and BMG, JCD returned home to his Texas roots. While in Nashville, he penned several songs for artists like Dolly Parton, Hal Ketchum, Tammy Cochran, Sherrie Austin, Billy Ray Cyrus (Hanna Montana's dad) and Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles. "Little Bird," as recorded by Sherrie Austin, peaked at number 4 on Billboard's Top Country Singles Sales Chart. He also recorded his own songs for Warner Brothers, Sony and MCA Records, with the angelic voice of Vince Gill singing back-up.

JCD became friends as well as collaborators with some of the most respected names in the business. Look at his body of work over the last ten years and you'll find names beside his like Rodney Crowell, Radney Foster, Steve Lukather of Toto, Stan Lynch of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Charlotte Caffey of The Go Go's as well as hit producers, Dann Huff (Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban) and David Z. (Prince, Jonny Lang).
Within a year of moving back, JCD signed a new record deal with indie label, Palo Duro Records. His long awaited debut CD was released nationwide in August of 2006. It quickly caught the attention of USA Today and popular music critic, Robert K. Oermann - "I'm a huge fan of this man's album. Its second single sizzles with zesty rhythm, yelping vocals, sidewinder guitar and a ridiculously catchy melody. The major-label "stars" on Music Row have nothing on this guy. Play this!"

In February 2008, the first Lone Star Attitude store, named after a popular JCD song, opened at DFW International Airport (Terminal C, Gate 33). It features high-end Texas merchandise displaying the Lone Star Attitude® brand. Baby Looks Good On You®, another brand born out of a JCD song, is also making waves around the world - babylooksgoodonyou.com.

In September of 2008, he, along with fellow Texas singer-songwriter, Deryl Dodd, released the patriotic song, "The Boy I Left Behind." It is now the official theme song for The American Fallen Soldiers Project. In June of 2009, JCD became the state-wide voice for TXU Energy. Check out the commercial on the home page!
In 2010, he launched justcoolmusic.com, the think tank, production arm of Lone Star Attitude, Inc. Its first release is the 25 song, double CD, "Demos from the Vault (1999-2009)."

Corb Lund & the Hurtin' Albertans

Corb Lund
August 26

Corb Lund is Alberta's acclaimed alternative country star. His latest series of songs Losin' Lately Gambler features a gallery of subjects drawn from real life.

"A lot of my ancestors pop into the songs. Ive got quite a cast of characters to draw from. I feel a real kinship with the Old West."

Lund's ancestors were ranchers and miners with lots of stories to draw on. A particular great-grandfather may have been the model for the hard-luck gambler described in "A Game in a Town Like This". Lund's own rodeo experience animates "Steer Rider's Blues". Lund's father, a veterinarian, is surely the inspiration for "Horse Doctor".

Lund impresses both listeners and critics and has been named Roots Artist of the Year by the Canadian Country Music Association for the past five consecutive years is again nominated this year. He collected the Roots and Traditional Album of the Year trophy for his album Hair in My Eyes Like a Highland Steer at the 2006 JUNO Awards (the Canadian Grammys), and took home a CCMA Album of the Year award for the set as well. His ambitious 2007 song cycle Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier! was nominated for the prestigious critical accolade, the Polaris Music Prize.

Granger Smith

Granger Smith
August 27

A Texas Native, Granger Smith started off as a self taught musician and honed his craft with years on the road, apprenticing and recording in Nashville, and developing as a musician which took him on three tours to Iraq and Kuwait, entertaining our troops, as well as three performances at the Whitehouse. Such a worldly musician returned home to brand himself as a Texas artist. As a result, his music is heard in clubs, at football games at his alma mater, Texas A&M, even on the Space Shuttle at the astronauts' request.

“If I can help someone get lost in the moment of a song long enough to forget the worries of the world, or long enough to remember what’s most important, then I’ve done my job.”

Smith's output includes titles such as "Livin' Like A Lonestar", which features the top ten single "Colorblind", "We Bleed Maroon", adopted as the modern-day anthem for Texas A&M, "Don't Listen to the Radio"--ironically given more airplay than any of his previously released albums, and "Gypsy Rain".

Granger is an adept presence – on stage and through the speaker – and with his continued rise in popularity, he will soon be a household name in music. But Granger insists he will always keep pushin' the pedal. "I think that, five years down the road, I'll probably still be striving for something else that I'm not quite getting. I'm always looking towards the next step."

Justin McBride

Justin McBride
August 28

Like a country song born in the saddle, Justin McBride is the modern day rendition of the quintessential American Cowboy. He is a fifth generation cowboy, iconic in stature, a cowboy and songster by profession.

Living with his family on a working ranch, McBride can boast of his accomplishments, having won two World Championships in his 11 years of bull riding. Real life experience in the saddle offers a wealth of material for song writing. He is a singer, a songwriter, a tried-and-true cowboy.

Justin was raised in Nebraska, listening to Hank Williams and Chris LeDoux. “I think what I really like about it was a lot of that stuff I grew up listening to you could see yourself in that predicament,” McBride said. “It was really simple, direct, straightforward music and I still love that kind of stuff.”

Being a true cowboy isn't about fashion and similarly, McBride's music is never dictated by what is at the top of the charts. Many of the places he lived didn't even have radio. Most of his early exposure was to a handful of cassette tapes playing in the truck on the way from rodeo event to rodeo event, trading tapes with fellow riders and ropers. “Those were songs that you’ll never ever hear again,” recalls McBride. Many of these tapes are traded off or long lost except for what was branded into his memory. The best way to know this style is to listen to McBride's work.

Music was always an important part of McBride's life but he didn't start playing until his first year of rodeoing. Here he picked up his first acoustic guitar, sitting around with fellow bull riders, picking tunes and drinking, washing off that day's dust.

Fate would bring McBride's path to cross with Tracy Byrd at a casual jam session which also led to a meet up with songwriter Wynn Varble. Friendships were forged and Justin found himself adding to a couple of tracks here and there. This developed into an album's worth of material which spawned more of the same. Before he knew it, Justin McBride had put together a band to hit the road touring and playing for the same crowds that cheered him in the rodeo arena.

Briefly, McBride returned to his love of bull riding but announced his retirement after many hard hitting years in the Rodeo arena. He now focused his attention to his music. He had a life of experience as well as a fan base and a growing number of connections. From smoke-filled honky tonks to the Grand Ole Opry, from the Iron Cowboy Invitational to Billy Bob's Texas, Justin McBride continues his legacy in song.