Summer is finally here at TXRDR and with it brings tons of awesome festivals to the Fort Worth area.

One such festival is brand new and promises to have the World's Largest Honkytonk rockin' at an all-time high not to mention it's got a super AWESOME name.

The Burning Bubba Fest is happening this Saturday night at Billy Bob's in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards and boy is it a stacked line-up!  Southern Rockers Blackberry Smoke and The Cadillac Three are performing, along with Fort Worth's rowdy cowpunkers Holy Moly, and Austin's honkyonkin' throwbacks, Crooks.

The name Burning Bubba is quite an interesting play on Burning Man Festival and most definitely fits with the stellar Southern Rock line-up!  I would say with certainty that most of the bands on the bill glorify Willie Nelson's favorite past-time if you know what I mean.  It's gonna be Smokin' in more ways than one!  *wink* *wink*

Outside in Billy Bob's courtyard, a free Colonial Afterparty will be in full effect as well!  Admission for the outdoor concerts in Billy Bob's Rodeo Plaza are free and feature performances from 2 rising Texas-Red Dirt stars, Lincoln Durham at 6pm and South Texas party-rockers The Pear Ratz at 8pm.  

The indoor portion of the Burning Bubba requires a ticket for admission ( $15 in advance / $25 at the Door ), with the doors to Billy Bobs opening at 3pm and the first performer Austin outlaws, Crooks hitting the inside-Honkytonk stage at 5pm.  

Crooks, a honkytonk quartet with classic country in their veins have been featured on MTV’s "The Hive," where they were labeled a “Must-See Austin band”.  Performing quite regularly at Magnolia Motor Lounge here in Funkytown, these guys are one of our new favorite acts!

Outside on the free stage, rising star and mega-badass Lincoln Durham will perform at 6pm.

Brad Beheler of one of our favorite blogs, Galleywinter.com, describes Lincoln as "a walking, talking, wailing, riffing revelation roots music revivalist. His modern spin on the Mississippi Delta blues music originally created by the likes of Son House and Mississippi Fred McDowell is a standout in a world full of synthetic and homogeonized music created to feed lowest common denominator expectations and playlists."

Having followed Lincoln's career and after listening to a recent show, this guy is the real deal.  An artist like Lincoln is very rare and big things are to come from this Roots purveyor.

Holy Moly, one of the Fort Worth music scene's best live acts, will be performing at 7pm on the Main Stage.  This will be their first time on the legendary Billy Bobs stage, quite a rare honor for a band from inside the 817 city limits. 

Holy Moly lead singer/guitarist Joe Bill Rose, is a dynamic frontman and his songs wail of heartache, booze, and drugs, with a decidedly cowpunk flair.  Very animated, Rose is a blast to watch and his vocals are simply amazing!  Similar to Eleven Hundred Springs or Hank III, Holy Moly is worth the price of admission any day of the week, these guys can bring it and put on a great show.

Outside, on the free party on the plaza stage at 8pm, George West, Texas Southern party rockers The Pear Ratz will be cranking up their jams and scarring the crap out of all of the horses in nearby Cowtown Coliseum practice arena with their loud, take-no-prisoners sound.  

The Pear Ratz are a South Texas favorite and have been putting out quality music since 2005 when they formed from the remnants of a metal band.  When they kick it into high gear, watch out! 

At 9pm, up & coming Nashville darlings the Cadillac Three will be hitting the main stage!  This 3 piece is totally incredible and feature a sound that is out of this world awesome!

Self-proclaimed as "Country Fuzz", they tear up the stage from the opening note and have fun, catchy lyrics that flow like a good wine.  Part Hank III, part Black Keys the Cadillac Three have a sound that flat out rocks.  Recently signed to Big Machine Records, expect to hear big things from these guys down the line!

After the Cadillac Three, the headliner for the evening, Blackberry Smoke, will perform at 10:30pm and it's gonna get LOUD!  Billy Bob's hasnt seen it this loud in decades I promise!  

From Atlanta, these rockers are Southern proud, harnessing a sound that will transport you back in time to the days when Skynyrd and Marshall Tucker were king.  The tons of amps, smoke, and killer stage lighting will make this show a special one.

Having the opportunity to hear Blackberry Smoke in Nashville back in 2006, these guys have developed full throttle and never let up on the pedal as they tear through song after song of Southern-friend marijuana laced rock n roll.

Country superstar Zach Brown has hitched his horse to their wagon, signing them to his record label and making them his #1 opener on his international tour.  Being that he is one of the more tasteful Nashville acts in recent years, that says alot about the awesomeness of Blackberry Smoke.

----

Billy Bob's is one of my favorite all-time party places in Fort Worth and that will be no exception this Saturday night!  With a progressive all-night lineup of some good ol' Southern Rock and Texas-Red Dirt Country, Billy Bob's is our must go-to afterparty for all of the golf revelers in town.  

See ya in the Stockyards at 4:20pm!  Gonna educate my fellow Bubba's how to smoke one up!

Doors inside Billy Bob's open at 3pm, Outside Free Colonial Afterparty kicks off at 5pm!

Tickets at www.burningbubba.com

We're loading up our wagon again this year and headed to Waco that first weekend in June.  Y'all should meet us down there.  Texas Red Dirt Roads plans to broadcast live from concert event on Sunday and be right in the middle of the field during Mondays golf tournament.  Music fans, The Wade Bowen Classic has returned if for it's 15th year!

It all starts Sunday June 2nd and rolls into Monday June 3rd.  If you're not careful and like me,  you'll have so much, uh-hum, fun on Sunday that IT WILL BE MONDAY before you know it.  Early Monday morning.  Moving on.  Here's the story behind the concert and tournament.

Wade & his wife Shelby have started their own foundation to raise money for kids in need and charitable organizations that are close to their hearts.  In the past four years the Bowen Classic has raised close to half a million dollars for charities that help children.  Wade & Shelby not only want to raise money for these types of organizations, they also want to create awareness and support for these charities and those who turn to these organizations for help, in Wade’s hometown of Waco, TX.

Y'all come on out that first weekend in June and Sing'em and Swing'em with our buddy WB, The Waco Kid.  

Wade Bowen Classic

SYDTR_Justin 

Nothing like hearing the familiar call from Texas Rangers own Chuch Morgan "It's Baseball Time In Texas" to get every fan fired up and go baseball crazy.  The hopes and dreams of a new season are at their highest level and many prepare to ride out and maintain the excitement of a 162 game season.  

Now if we can all get excited about opening day and maintain it for 7 months, then it should come easy to get fired up for one game.  One game that is more important than any one game in the middle of that long season.   

Reckless Kelly would like to invite you to do just that.  Get fired up for their Annual Celebrity Softball Jam.  

Proceeds benefit the Reckless Kelly Charitable Youth Foundation. The event, which has raised over $130,000 in the first four years, has helped area youth leagues including South Austin Little League, Balcones Little League, Montopolis Little League, Del Valley Little League, The Miracle League at Town & Country, and The Miracle League of San Antonio.

Click HERE for all the details.  Load the familyup and go.  It's an awesome event and all kinds of family friendly.

Here's a little Reckless Kelly baseball jam that'll I leave ya with they came up with for The Round Rock Express minor league club.

SYDTR_Justin

2013 is here. The Texas MusicFest in Steamboat Springs has come and gone. Texas Mardi Gras in DFW is just weeks away. What do these things mean? Festival season is quickly approaching and will soon be in full swing.

After hours of internet searches and having reached out to friends and fans of Texas Country and Red Dirt music I managed to put together a list of most of the bigger festivals. What I didn't expect was a list of nearly 20 festivals throughout Texas and Oklahoma. There really is no excuse for people to not get out and get together in support of great music.

The following list will not include them all. I am going to post a list of the festivals with dates and info starting with those coming up soonest. This way you can start planning now as some of the festivals already have tickets on sale.

Texas Mardi Gras Feb 16 2013  info at mardigrasdfw.com/

Texas Music Revolution March 9 2013 info and tickets here

Frio Fest /RRB Sake of the Song Fest March 11-17 2013 info at friofest.com/randy_rogers_sots_festival.html

Outlaws and Legends March 22-23 2013 info at outlawsandlegends.com/

Chilifest April 5-6 2013 info at chilifest.org

Ray Wylie Hubbard's Grit ‘n Groove April 6 2013 info at raywylie.com/gritngroovefest.html

Crudefest April 11-13 2013 info at thecrudefest.com/

Calf Fry in Stillwater OK , April 25-27 2013 info at tumbleweedok.com/

Larry Joe Taylor Fest April 23-27 2013 info at larryjoetaylor.com/texas_music_festival.htm

Lone Star Jam May 4-5 2013 info at lonestarjam.com/

Texas Thunder Fest May 17-19 2013 info at texasthunderfest.com

The list really does go on and on and on. The are several other great festivals out there that take place later in the summer and fall. At this time however the list above is all of the updated info that is available online. We will update you in the future with information as it gets released.

So start making your vacation plans now.

Until next time

Brandon Meyers

brandon@txrdr.com

brndn76@gmail.com

    I've spoken many times about how generous and faithful the artists and fans of the Texas/Red Dirt scene are, and now, here's another chance to help out those that need us most.  Below I am going to share with you the message that explains the life and legacy left behind by the passing of Amber Burton.  She was a mother, a sister, a fan, and above all else, a friend to many artist's, and I hope you can let this message speak to your heart.  The video's I'm including are simply, yet importantly, songs that spoke to her.  I hope you too can hear their message.

    Amber was a fan and supporter of Red Dirt/ Texas Country music and traveled all over Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas catching shows from the artists she loved and their music, which helped keep her strong during her fierce battle with Colon Cancer.  When Amber passed, she left behind her six year old son, Hunter, a sister, two brothers, both her mother and father, and countless loving, caring friends.  This event is held in honor of her memory and her passion for the music, as well as, to help raise funds to be used to support the young son she left behind.

     While speaking with Heidi Burton, Amber's sister, I asked her what spawned the whole idea for this heart-felt event, and these were her words to me.

"Well, that's kind of a tough one.  Amber was a very private person, very independent.  When she was first diagnosed, she was a single mother living in OKC with her 5 year old son.  I automatically dropped what I was doing in Kansas to go move in with her.  She did chemo every other week, and one of the main things that kept her going was the music.  I watched her struggle, trying to maintain her job, and keep up with medical bills.  I thought, there has to be something I can do to lift her spirits and help her financially.  I had NO idea what I was doing, but over the years, we had become friends with some of the musicians.  I thought hey, it doesn't hurt to ask.  And so this idea was born.  This scene is so much like family, everyone is always willing to help each other out."

    Selfless devotion to a person or cause is always a success, no matter what the goal.  Heidi has that, and through her love, and compassion, the event began to take shape.  "I knew if this was actually going to happen, I needed to find a venue.  It just seemed natural to ask one of the most famous Red Dirt venues, and our home away from home the Wormy Dog Saloon. To my amazement, they didn't think twice, and agreed to host the event." 

    One of Amber's favorite songs was "Cleveland" off of Rich O'Toole's freshman release Seventeen. "Amber loved that song." Heidi said.  "Even though he rarely plays it live, we always managed to get him to play it for us."

    The first artist Heidi approached about spearheading this event was, William Clark Green.  Heidi explained to me how that evening happened.  "Well, one weekend Amber and I were hanging out at home on a Friday night with no plans.  My mother had Hunter, so we figured we needed to find a show to take in while we had a chance.  She always kept a planner with shows all over the mid-west.  We had heard so many good things about William Clark Green, she said hey, he's playing in the Stockyards tomorrow, you wanna drive to Ft. Worth?  So we packed up and headed south.  We had never met Will and the band before, but we talked to them after the show, and WCG was in awe that we had driven from out of state to catch their show.  In private, I explained Amber's situation to him and asked if I put together a benefit in OKC, if he and the guys would be willing to play it.  Without batting at eye, he said he was in."

Heidi continued to share with me, "When Amber passed away, we chose to spread part of her ashes at the Texas/ Oklahoma border right on I-35.  She always said as she crossed that line that it was a breath of fresh air.  She loved Texas and everything about it.  William was one of the last people she spoke to on the phone.  When Amber passed, I called to let him know our plans, and a few days later, he met us at the border with guitar in hand, and played "Caroline" as my brothers and I spread her ashes."

    The world lost it's Red Dirt Angel on July, 27, 2011.  Please come join us September 16, at the Wormy Dog Saloon in OKC, to help celebrate her life and her legacy.  This is Texas Red Dirt Roads.

For more on the event visit the Facebook event page: Kickin' Cancer in the Colon

To make a donation to the cause visit: Amber's Allies

Adiós,

Aaron Bentley

aaronleebentley1979@yahoo.com

aaron@txrdr.com