Storytelling and reviews about the artists and trends that define the sounds of the Lone Star State
The three-time Grammy nominee talks to us live from Luck, Texas, about definitive covers, Billie Holiday, and building her family with Willie records playing in the background.
The queen’s new album nails the sweet spot between nostalgia and new wave, paying tribute to past trendsetters while blazing a new path forward for pop music.
Bob Freeman is a craftsman who carves, plays, and sings the praises of the traditional Native American instrument.
The 23-year-old from Georgetown emerges as Texas’s answer to Olivia Rodrigo and—dare we say it?—T-Swift with his sophomore album, ‘Superache.’
Willie’s longtime producer and writing partner talks about how “Something You Get Through” came together and the way Willie changed country songwriting.
While we wait for ‘Renaissance’ to drop on July 24, the Beyhive is frantically trying to decode clues about the album to come. The speculation is the point.
Squeezebox Bandits front man Abel Casillas grew up singing Hank Williams and playing tejano music.
Pianist James Dick has spent half a century crafting the Round Top Festival Institute into a world-class destination for classical musicians, where architecture, fine arts, green space, and history meet.
The four-time Oscar nominee talks “Too Sick to Pray” and the way Willie’s music has helped him build his family.
San Antonio–born Christopher Cross defined a generation of yacht rock and made Grammys history with “Sailing.” But the song’s origins couldn’t be much further from its beatific sound.
The nine-time Grammy winner talks “Permanently Lonely,” jazzy Django chords, and Willie’s beautifully harsh poetry.
Texas Monthly writer Michael Hall, who profiled Seals in 2020, reflects on some of the musician’s best stories.
Though they are a generation apart and of different backgrounds, the two share musical influences, a certain artistic restlessness, and a fastidious devotion to their craft.
Muscle Shoals bass player David Hood on ‘Phases and Stages,’ producer Jerry Wexler, and “(How Will I Know) I’m Falling in Love Again.”
Lance Scott Walker's ‘DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution’ is a worthwhile biography and oral history, even for those who already know the story of Screw's short, impactful life.
The 99-year-old North Texas musician stumped for LBJ, toured with the USO, and still recalls hundreds of tunes.
Pianist James Dick has turned a rolling pasture outside of Round Top into a haven for classical musicians from around the world.
The Americana singer-songwriter discusses one of Willie’s first iconic cover songs.
The piano teacher turned touring musician from Lockney has been inducted into several halls of fame across the U.S.
Bob Wills fans flock each spring to the tiny Panhandle town to “dance all night, dance a little longer.”
Willie’s longtime harmonica player discusses joining the band, stowaways on the bus, and “The Words Don’t Fit the Picture.”
In ‘12th of June,’ the Klein singer-songwriter shares the love and joys of home life.
One of America’s greatest songwriters talks Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson . . . and the surprising debt they owe “My Sharona.”
Our favorite Texas Monthly pieces featuring the country music star, who died on Saturday at 86, and the cultural phenomenon he helped inspire.
On the 50th anniversary of his eponymous 1972 record, five renowned singer-songwriters—including Jimmy Buffett and Lyle Lovett—celebrate Willis Alan Ramsey.
The Toronto rapper has an everywhere-and-nowhere relationship with place, but no city has influenced him as much as H-Town.
The 22-time Grammy winner talks faith, Ray Price, and the power of an irresistible first line in a lyric.
‘A Beautiful Time’ picks up where his "mortality trilogy" of albums left off, with an especially off-the-wall cover and new songs reflecting on life and death.
On this special birthday episode of ‘One by Willie,’ Paula Nelson talks about “Devil in a Sleepin’ Bag,” a song her dad wrote about his longtime drummer, Paul English—who happens to be her namesake.
The singer-songwriter talks about “Are You Sure,” getting her granddad into Willie’s poker game, and a gift Willie gave her that she’ll never smoke.
The Houstonian pulled double duty on ‘Saturday Night Live’ as host and musical guest. How’d she do?
Our latest season of interviews with notable Willie Nelson fans debuts April 20.
Bobbie Nelson, pianist and older sister to Texas music icon Willie Nelson, died Thursday morning at 91.
Plus: swing by an Austin jazz festival, then listen to a record dedicated to a SpongeBob SquarePants character on your way home.
We can’t let California win, y’all. Here’s everything you need to know about how to vote for Texas in the pop song competition.
In an upcoming record, the singer’s voice will be digitally aged. The Quintanilla family continues to misunderstand why Selena’s fans adored her.
Photos from this year's Luck Reunion, which welcomed back attendees for the first time since 2019.
The festival was smaller and less overwhelming than in times past, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing—or a sign of things to come.
The country legend dropped NFTs, an album, and a book before putting on a dazzling performance at the Moody Theater.
Kazka’s male members took up arms to repel Putin’s invasion. But the band’s singer, Oleksandra Zaritska, was still determined to appear at the festival.
No country music fan will be disappointed by ‘The Return of Tanya Tucker,’ which puts the focus on artistry and that one-in-a-million voice.
Trail of Dead was “the band that trashes everything.” But on its eleventh album, ‘XI: Bleed Here Now,’ it’s finally grown into the classic rock group it always wanted to be.
Four sibling punk rockers, Houston’s greatest soul band, and three more acts you need to catch at SXSW 2022.
Bastards of Soul front man Chadwick Murray died last September. His bandmates now reckon with the release of his final album.
The Alamo City legend broke up Girl in a Coma and decamped to L.A. She’s back with a new solo album, a recording studio, and some hard-earned wisdom.
For the first time in four years, the Chicks are back on the road—but one big state (and a bigger part of the band's history) is notably absent from the list of stops.
Streaming services don’t exist inside Classical Music of Spring, one of the few remaining classical-focused shops in the country.
Plus: a Motown dance party and an existential visit to West Texas.
With covers from Leon Bridges, Fat Tony, and more, the 1992 country single continues to find new life across genres.
The Texas native talks about her debut album, finding herself, and how she’s changing the country scene just by being herself.
