I see a lot of live music. I mean, a LOT. It’s definitely a cool effect of doing what I do. I decided to think up ten bands you may not have heard of, and tell you, you should. This list is predicated on the idea that you already know some of the great bands in the “Texas Country Scene.” If for some reason you don’t know bands like William Clark Green, or Shane Smith and the Saints, then I should probably write a different list to the completely uninitiated. Expect that soon. If you know the scene a little bit, if you like music and are looking for something new, make sure you check these bands out.

Oh, and these are in no particular order. Just as they came to mind. I’d love to hear any we might have missed in the comments.

10.Erick Willis – on twitter @Erick_Willis

Erick Willis is a great songwriter with a funny way of spelling Eric. I love his voice in what can only be described as an emerging ‘Texas Soul’ brand of Texas music.

9. Zac Wilkerson – on twitter @ZTWilkersonMy love of Zac’s music is not anything new. I’ve talked about him at length to people who never actually asked me a question. A former youth pastor, turned touring musician, his story is interesting. His music is good for my soul.

https://youtu.be/8XDN-1Er9EI

8.Jordan York – on twitter @JordanOfYork

Jordan York is a musician who spent much of his early years in music playing bass for other people’s bands. These days he’s concentrating on his own musical efforts. He’s actually cutting a new album at the moment. I often see him playing opposite of a steel guitar, which makes his sad songs sound even better. I hope we see more from Jordan in the future.

7. Randall King -On twitter at @Randallkingband

Randall and his band have been setting things on fire lately after he debuted “The Problem.” He’s been growing and growing, and I’m positive you’re going to see big things from them.

6. Flatland Cavalry -on twitter @FlatlandCavalry

Ok, these guys are setting the highways on fire lately. With their new album ‘Humble Folks’ going to the top of the iTunes charts, I’m really proud to have seen them play in front of about 40 people a year or so ago up at the Blue Light when I lived in Lubbock. These guys are going to be household names in about a year, so get in on the fan ‘ground floor’ now.

5. Breelan Angel -on twitter at @BreelanAngel

Breelan is on her way up, and she puts on a helluva show too. I like that she came out with Rhinestone World as a single. I’ve seen the way people give unasked for advice to female artists before, thinking that they all need to look or act a certain way. Just let the music be the music.

4. The O’s -on twitter @wearetheos

Band member count? Two. Playing the drums, keyboards, and all sorts of other instruments. Watching them on stage is a lot of fun. They have a great sense of humor, and the music is perfect for windows down road trip listening.

3. Strangetowne -On twitter at @strangetowne

Out of Amarillo, these guys are a fun show to watch. Even better, they get “it.” I’ve seen them play in front of an empty dancefloor. Slowly over the course of their set, which was the first time they ever played in town, people heard it, and they got it. It’s always fun to watch a band grow. Seeing people the first time they play in a new market is always interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMsLlQbIQR4

2. John Baumann -on twitter at @John_Baumann_

Ok, not only is John just outright one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, he also is an amazing songwriter, who just scored a major get. His song featured here, is Gulf Moon. Kenny Chesney recently picked it up to be on his next album. Congratulations to John, this is a big thing. Can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.

1. Blue Water Highway -on twitter at @BlueWaterHwy

Having just seen these guys do a fantastic job on stage and in an upcoming Parking Lot Series. They were a lot of fun to see.

So, who’d I miss?

Follow me on twitter! @JRKORA