When Glen Campbell took Jimmy Webb’s “Galveston” to the top of the charts in 1969, most of the country probably shared Melissa Etheridge’s reaction. “I never even knew what he was singing about,” she said in 2003, when CMT named it No. 8 on the list of the 100 greatest songs in country music. “Was it a girl? Was it a place? But oh my God, did I miss Galveston.” Etheridge could be forgiven if she heard it as a love song to whatever or whomever Galveston was. “Galveston, oh Galveston” opens the song, in addition to two of the three remaining stanzas. Webb sprinkles images — sea waves, sea winds ..read more

Steven Elmer Perry was trying his best to sing his songs. The chemo made his throat burn like hell. His friend, Dallas entertainer Jes Spires, was encouraging him to finish. Spires had paid in full for the recording session by hosting extra open-mic nights. Their musician friends, Orion Pitts and Justin Pickard, were playing for free. Recorded at Kitchen Studios in Garland, John Painter was engineering the CD. Each person involved knew this would be Perry’s last recording session, his last chance to capture a lifetime of musical nuggets — songs loved and respected for their poetic excellence ..read more

Honey may be sweet, but the kind Austin’s Honey Made serves is rich, and, dare I say, spicy. With their latest EP, Charge It to the Bank Fund, the nine-piece band goes big and bold, showing how unafraid they are to experiment. The name itself evokes an artist’s hustle, of powering through losses and savoring major wins. Running through the seven tracks is like getting a full-off sampling of spoons at an ice cream place. Pick any song, and you’ll get a taste of old-school R&B and Earth, Wind & Fire ’90s jazz rap, along with layers of showy sax solos and silky falsettos. Honey Made begi ..read more

BROUGHT TO YOU BY Every fall, the streets of downtown Alpine transform during the annual Artwalk celebration, which celebrates its 30th anniversary from November 17 to 18. To mark this much-loved family-friendly occasion, approximately seventeen different art cars including hot rods and low riders will be parading through town on Saturday alongside a slew of butterflies, longhorns, and colorful characters from the beloved Austin Bike Zoo. With the streets closed off, visitors will be able to walk safely while exploring the host of delicious food vendors and talented arts dealers selling ..read more

Music journalist Holly Gleason enjoyed a longstanding relationship with John Prine. Gleason grew up on Prine, in fact, before she became an observer as a music journalist and confidante as a friend (and, at one point, his publicist). She often traveled with Prine on tours in the late 1980s and represented him in the 2000s. It was only natural, then, that she’d take on the task of assembling the collection of intriguing and eclectic pieces — some from publications long gone — that make up Prine on Prine: Interviews and Encounters with John Prine, released Sept. 12 by Chicago Review Press. Gleas ..read more

Editor’s Note: John Prine was born in Mayfield, Illinois, but, as the saying goes, he got to Texas as fast as he could — and as often as he could. In fact, given how often he was featured on Austin City Limits, you might have assumed he was a Texan. ACL executive producer Terry Lickona has called Prine, who appeared on ACL nine times, “integral to the essence” of the show. And on Oct. 26, Prine was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame. (See our story covering the ceremony.) “To me, Prine always felt like part of the Texas constellation that includes Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, po ..read more

BLACK PUMASChronicles of a Diamond ATO Records Let’s state the obvious: when the Black Pumas emerged, they set the bar awfully high. Eric Burton garnered praise for his ethereal vocals, and producer/co-writer Adrian Quesada was lauded for his tapestry. Along with that came accolades from the Grammys and the White House. And on a deeper level, their hit “Colors” — off their debut release — gave comfort to a nation overwhelmed by a pandemic, politics and protests. With a debut album that achieved a level of success no one could have predicted, one had to wonder if the Austin-based duo could meet ..read more

Several friends told Jon Dee Graham, “Don’t make a death album.” It’s just too hard, they said, to write songs about the subject without being clumsy or depressing or both. His answer? “How can I not?” After all, he’d had three close brushes with death between 2008 and 2022: a car wreck, a stroke and a heart attack. During the last, Graham’s heart stopped beating for at least five minutes. “These are things people are afraid to talk about,” Graham explains. “That’s part of my gift. I’m not afraid to spell out what’s going on in my head. And frequently, it’s stuff people think they don’t want t ..read more

Like any newly arrived musician from out of town, the 25-year-old Buddy Miller spent most of his first year in Austin scouting the scene and looking for work. Everything he had heard in New Jersey about the Texas capital’s mid-’70s scene and its uncanny blend of traditional country and progressive folk-rock proved true. The town was brimming with hot pickers, smart songwriters and spellbinding singers, but the person who impressed him the most was a 20-year-old beauty named Julie Griffin, a soprano who sang as if there were no filter between her heart and her mouth. On Sept. 22, 2023, Buddy an ..read more

When plans originally were made to induct singer-songwriter John Prine into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2020, he’d just won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and was looking forward to attending the celebration that fall. Sadly, COVID would take his life that April and cause the 2020 inductions to be canceled altogether. But as Austin City Limits executive producer and longtime host Terry Lickona — and a parade of Prine admirers — noted during the 2023 ceremony, held Oct. 26 at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, his impact and influence continues to be felt. Prine, who appeared nine t ..read more