Welcome to 2024!
There is more recorded music freely available to you now than at any point in history, and there’s plenty of new music flowing in every week. Negativity and tribalism are very popular, but I’m too busy enjoying music to spend much effort on that. Believe it or not, it’s possible to enjoy more than one kind of music. It’s even possible to enjoy artists from both yesterday and today and the artists from both the mainstream and the independents.
It’s easy to get caught up in the biggest and newest artists and most talked about trends, but let’s also appreciate the older artists who are still out there performing for the love of the music. People like Tracy Pitcox and Dale Watson and so many more make great effort to celebrate the ones who paved the way.
Yesterday, I drove to Llano, Texas to see Louisiana legend Jo-El Sonnier, who was celebrating 50 years as a professional country musician and 65 years as a professional Cajun musician. The event was sponsored by the great Heart of Texas people from Brady. Sadly, Jo-El Sonnier passed away shortly after the concert. This is a reminder to see the legends when you have the chance, because you never know whether you will get another chance.
Speaking of Heart of Texas, another bit of news from that scene is the debut of the Malpass Brothers show on RFD-TV. They recently taped shows with many older artists, like Moe Bandy, Gene Watson, and Leroy Van Dyke.
I kicked off 2024 with a visit to my hometown in Alabama. I heard a couple of good bands in the Lafayette, Louisiana area. Terry Huval’s Jambalaya Cajun Band has been around since the 1970s. I saw them at Prejean’s restaurant. I also saw third-generation zydeco performer Gerard Delafose and the Zydeco Gators at the Vermillionville Historic Village.
I don’t have a lot of set plans in 2024. Most of the “current stars” are too expensive, but there are countless talented musicians playing for little or nothing.
I do hope to get to at least some of the Ameripolitan events in Austin in February. In March, I expect to catch some of the unofficial SXSW shows in Austin and some of the Heart of Texas events in Brady.
Last year, I attended (mostly free) events in Texas sponsored by the ACM, CMT, and Opry NextStage. I’ll be on the lookout for those again.
I will probably try CMA Fest in Nashville in June for at least the free afternoon shows. Most of my relatives live in Alabama and Tennessee, so I might as well time the visit to catch some music. The smaller stages are usually my favorites.
I will keep an eye on the calendar for bluegrass, western, old-time fiddle, and polka events in Texas.
I’ll close today’s post by mentioning a brand new bluegrass band from north Alabama called The Ancient Tones, which includes Sharon Bounds, Allen Tolbert, Adam Duke, Rick Rorex, Weston Stewart, and Todd Freeman. All of these folks have been picking a long time and have won various awards.
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