austin

Change is good. Sometimes, you just need a little shake-up to get things to how they always ought to have been. With Heat Sin Water Skin, BettySoo adds some welcome edge and grit we always knew she had to the heartbreaker ballads and bell-pure vocals she's come to be known for. Teamed with seasoned producer Gurf Morlix (Lucinda Williams, Mary Gauthier, Slaid Cleaves), BettySoo has made a record worth sitting up and paying attention to. Her vocals are striking, the players are strong, the sound is compelling, and her writing is better than ever.

On “Plainsman’s Lament,” above an organ that stands tall like a support group and guitars that wobble loose like weak knees, Austin, Texas’ The Golden Boys howl, “We’ll drink until we’ve had our fill/ No one who knows us can stop us/ And no one will.” And while they might be singing (again) about drinking, the most noteworthy thing here—aside from a hook that you’ll never forget—is the sense of irrepressible joy and abandon that The Golden Boys bring.

Shawn Colvin (born January 10, 1956 in Vermillion, South Dakota) is an American musician. Best known for her hit single "Sunny Came Home" from the album "A Few Small Repairs". Colvin's formative years were spent in the town of Carbondale, Illinois, where she attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She learned to play guitar at the age of 10. Her first public concert was at age 15 at the University of Illinois campus. Colvin cites Joni Mitchell as a primary influence on her music, and her initial performances closely mirrored Mitchell's inflections and guitar tunings.

Seven-piece Texan group Alpha Rev meld classical instrumentation with rock. They were formed in 2005 by singer-songwriter Casey McPherson after the break-up of his previous band Endochine. The band also comprises Derek Dunivan (guitar), Tommy Roalson (drums), Dave Wiley (cello), Alex Dunlap (bass), Brian Lewis Batch (violin) and Derek Morris (keyboards) Frontman Casey McPherson’s gripping, emotional songwriting dares others to search out hope in the bleakest of circumstances and the unique instrumentation pays homage to the classical music that gave him his love for the art.