Film & TV
October 30, 2020
Thomas Haden Church Will Star as the Texanist
Plus, how ‘Dallas’ brought down the Soviet Union, Netflix’s ‘Selena’ gets a real trailer, and Luke Wilson plays a fire-belching robot duck.
Music
Storytelling and reviews about the artists and trends that define the sounds of the Lone Star State
One by Willie
October 30, 2020
‘One by Willie,’ Episode 4: Jack Ingram on ‘I’d Have to Be Crazy’
The singer-songwriter talks the surprising complexity of Willie’s songwriting and a special request President George H.W. Bush made while Ingram was playing for him.
Music
October 29, 2020
On Texas Time: Surfaces, College Station’s Viral Pop Duo
Forrest Frank and Colin Padalecki on working with Elton John, what they hope to accomplish next, and more.
Music
October 28, 2020
Willie Nelson Singing ‘Under Pressure’ With Karen O Is the Duet We Didn’t Know We Needed in 2020
The legendary collaboration between Queen and David Bowie gets a remake by an intergenerational pair of icons.
Music
October 28, 2020
Billy Joe Shaver, the Blustery, Tenderhearted Country Star Known as the “Wacko From Waco,” Dies of a Stroke
After contracting COVID-19 earlier this year, the musician had spent most of this past summer in isolation—where he was still writing songs.
Music
October 28, 2020
Khruangbin Might Be the Biggest Band in the World of Vinyl
The Houston psychedelic rockers are a fixture on listeners’ turntables.
Music
October 27, 2020
Musician Xavier Omär Never Felt at Home Anywhere. Then He Got to Texas.
A sense of belonging reverberates all throughout the San Antonio R&B artist’s new album, ‘If You Feel.’
Music
October 24, 2020
Jerry Jeff Walker, a Trailblazer of the Cosmic Cowboy Sound, Dies at 78
The country icon was, as fellow musician Lucinda Williams put it, an “American treasure.”
Music
October 23, 2020
Meet One of the Rangers Who Made It to the World Series—The Team’s DJ
This year, Michael Gruber learned to work Rangers games without fans. His new gig is a World Series without the Rangers.
Film & TV
October 23, 2020
Won’t You Say You Love a Dark ‘Barney’ Movie?
Plus, ‘Seinfeld’ stars yadda yadda yadda for Texas Democrats, ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ races to TV, and the Matthew McConaughey blitz has begun.
One by Willie
October 23, 2020
‘One by Willie,’ Episode 3: Alejandro Escovedo on ‘Half a Man’
For Escovedo, the song conjures memories of his father, as well as ghost stories, old pot dealers, and a cowpunk music video.
Music
October 20, 2020
Mathew Knowles Helped Make Beyoncé a Superstar. Now He Wants to Share His “Secret Sauce.”
In his new teaching role at the University of Houston, the straight-talking music mogul promises students a primer on success and celebrity.
Music
October 19, 2020
The Late Johnny Bush on How He Wrote Willie Nelson’s Perennial Show Opener, ‘Whiskey River’
‘Whiskey River’ had only one verse and a chorus, but Willie Nelson said that was all it needed.
Film & TV
October 16, 2020
Selena Gomez Could Be Your Next Scream Queen
Plus, Demi Lovato releases an anti-Trump song, Sandra Bullock gets back into rom-coms, and the Legendary Stardust Cowboy gets the documentary treatment.
One by Willie
October 16, 2020
‘One by Willie,’ Episode 2: Lyle Lovett on ‘Hello Walls’
The four-time Grammy winner talks the solitary nature of songwriting and a big wet kiss Willie once planted on Faron Young.
Music
October 14, 2020
Why Quinn Mason, a 24-Year-Old Composer From Dallas, May Be Classical Music’s Next Superstar
Mason, one of the most sought-after young composers in the country, has a new work set to premiere in November.
Music
October 9, 2020
Watch an Animated Rendering of Willie Nelson From the All-Virtual Austin City Limits Music Festival
Nelson’s rendition of ‘On the Road Again’ gets special treatment for this year’s all-virtual festival.
Film & TV
October 9, 2020
Hollywood, Texas: ‘Dazed and Confused’ Cast to Reunite Online, Online, Online
Plus, Kacey Musgraves meets Scooby Doo, Borat meets Sid Miller, and Austin meets ‘Walker, Texas Ranger.’
Music
October 9, 2020
Willie: A Special Project
Dive into this collection devoted to Willie Nelson where you’ll find new essays about the Red Headed Stranger, our new podcast "One by Willie," a comprehensive ranking of every album Willie ever published, and more.
One by Willie
October 9, 2020
‘One by Willie,’ Episode 1: Margo Price on ‘Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground’
In the first episode of our new series, the Grammy-winning artist talks about writing sad songs and tells a great dirty joke she learned from Nelson himself.
The Texanist
October 8, 2020
The Texanist: What Would the World Be Like if Willie Nelson Had Never Happened?
An Austin man ponders the unthinkable.
Music
October 8, 2020
Why We Need Willie Nelson Now, More Than Ever
We didn’t really need a reason to write a bunch of stories about the Red Headed Stranger. But we had a few.
Music
October 8, 2020
Willie Nelson, Guitarist
Over the decades, he and Trigger have created an unmistakable—and uncannily human—sound.
Music
October 8, 2020
Willie Nelson, Interpreter of the Great American Songbook
Everyone knew Willie could write great songs and sing them too. But no one—except Willie, of course—believed he could masterfully cover Gershwin and Ellington.
Music
October 8, 2020
Willie Nelson, the People’s Champion
The man from Abbott has never forgotten his humble roots—and has tirelessly devoted himself to helping others.
Music
October 8, 2020
Willie Nelson, Landlord
Before he moved his home and his headquarters out to the Hill Country, Willie conducted an experiment in communal living right in the heart of Austin. It was as crazy as you might expect—and helped turn a sleepy college town into the Live Music Capital of the World.
Music
October 8, 2020
I Wasn’t a Big Willie Nelson Fan. These Ten Songs Turned Me Into One.
Learning to love Texas’s most iconic country musician, one song at a time.
Music
October 8, 2020
Willie Nelson, Songwriter
Simple is simply moving to me: How Willie does so much with so little.
Music
October 6, 2020
On His New Show ‘Don’t Mess With Texas Radio,’ Pat Green Aims for an Eclectic Mix of Country Sounds
The monthly music and talk program features a star-studded guest lineup and artist roster from the Lone Star State.
Music
October 3, 2020
Remembering Lubbock-Born Country Musician Mac Davis
In a career that spanned six decades, Davis wrote hits for Elvis and Dolly Parton, found solo success, and acted on Broadway and in film.
Film & TV
October 2, 2020
Texas’s Own Conan the Barbarian Gets a Netflix Series
Plus: Jamie Foxx recharges his Spider-Man villain, Megan Thee Stallion heads to ‘SNL,’ and Woody Harrelson saves the world with dirt.
One by Willie
September 28, 2020
Announcing Our New Podcast ‘One by Willie’
Join senior editor John Spong and artists you love for intimate conversations about the Willie songs that mean the most to them.
Music
September 25, 2020
Hollywood, Texas: The Travis Scott Meal Is Wreaking Havoc on McDonald’s
Plus, Liv Tyler won’t return to Fake Austin, Selena Gomez expands her moguldom, and Audie Murphy gets his own TV series.
Music
September 21, 2020
“Nobody Talks About That Stuff”: Waylon Payne on His Candid New Country Album
The progeny of two country stars, Payne, who grew up in East Texas, writes songs informed by his struggle with substance abuse, trauma, and redemption.
Music
September 4, 2020
Texas Monthly Recommends: Khruangbin’s ‘Evan Finds the Third Room’
Plus: a Dallas coffee shop, a Houston DJ’s playlists, and a haunting documentary.
Arts & Entertainment
September 4, 2020
The Weird, Wonderful Story of Texas’s First Radio Station
From its origins airing the banter of bored firefighters to its robust classical programming today, Dallas’s WRR-FM has filled an unusual niche on the airwaves for nearly a century.
Film & TV
August 28, 2020
Hollywood, Texas: People Are Flying to Texas Just to See a Dang Movie
Plus, a Wes Anderson–inspired theater seat claims to protect against COVID, Dennis Quaid made a show about his cat, and Selena Gomez becomes an ice cream.
Music
August 25, 2020
Watch Los Coast on Texas Monthly’s Sound Check
The psychedelic ensemble delivers a soul-stirring version of “A Change Is Gonna Come.”
Film & TV
August 21, 2020
Hollywood, Texas: Travis Scott Wants to Bring AstroWorld Back to Houston
Plus, Megan Thee Stallion gives away $1 million, ‘Supernatural’ and the Alamo Drafthouse plot their returns, and Barack Obama puts Texas on his playlist.
Music
August 20, 2020
Watch David Ramirez on Texas Monthly’s Sound Check
The prolific singer-songwriter believes that, now more than ever, love is all we need.
Music
August 18, 2020
On ‘A Home Unfamiliar,’ Texas Musicians Show Us What the Pandemic Sounds Like
Austin songwriter Mobley recruited musicians to collaborate on an album in quarantine. It feels like a snapshot of a music scene seeking a new way forward.
Music
August 18, 2020
Watch Sir Woman on Texas Monthly’s Sound Check
The Austin Music Awards Best New Band Winner performs from atop a backyard treehouse.
Music
August 18, 2020
“That’s Just the Way Willie Rolls”
A portrait of the man, in the words of those who know him best.
Arts & Entertainment
August 14, 2020
Hollywood, Texas: What Will a Lizzo TV Show Look Like?
Plus: Selena Gomez joins Steve Martin–Martin Short series, Noah Hawley returns to ‘Fargo,’ and Cinestate’s school shooting thriller heads to Venice.
Music
August 13, 2020
Watch Charley Crockett on Texas Monthly’s Sound Check
The prolific and proudly transient Rio Grande Valley native promises that post-quarantine, “as soon as they let me back out there, I’ll be twice as good.”
Music
August 11, 2020
Watch Sarah Jarosz on Texas Monthly’s Sound Check
The Wimberley native performs “Johnny” and “Hometown,” and describes missing even the difficult parts of touring as she hunkers down post–album release.
Film & TV
August 7, 2020
Texas Monthly Recommends: The New Go-Go’s Documentary
Plus, Megan Thee Stallion’s latest collaboration, a true crime podcast about a UT campus murder, and a Dallas-based online vintage shop.
Music
August 4, 2020
How Beyoncé’s ‘Black Is King’ Reimagines Family Histories
The new visual album features a potent through-line of ancestral guidance—one that caused me to reflect on my own relationship with forebears.
Music
August 3, 2020
Get Ready for a New Season of Texas Monthly’s Sound Check Music Series
A special quarantine edition kicks off August 11 and will feature backyard performances by some of your favorite artists.
Music
July 31, 2020
Charley Crockett Wrote Songs About Hard Times in America. Then 2020 Happened.
On his latest album, the Texan country musician sings of endurance within a fraught system.