State of Mind
June 30, 2021
State of Mind, Episode 3: A Life Surrounded by Vinyl
DJ El Dusty traces the origins of the record collection that gave him his signature sound and is helping to shape the music of his hometown of Corpus Christi.
Texas Music
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
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 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
July 18, 2020
The Success of BeatKing’s Hit ‘Then Leave’ Is a Moment for Texas Rap
A viral smash on TikTok, the song is part of a club music lineage that exists for the sole purpose of getting people moving.
Music
July 14, 2020
A Lifelong Rock Music Aficionado on Finally Seeing Her Icons Embrace Blackness
After years of feeling isolated in my fandom, witnessing my favorite bands supporting Black Lives Matter has been both meaningful and conflicting.
Music
June 25, 2020
Did the Dixie Chicks Just Change Their Name?
The band’s social media now calls them ”The Chicks.”
News & Politics
May 30, 2020
The Houston Years of George Floyd
Friends remember Floyd, who grew up in the Third Ward, as a gentle soul, a father, and a talented collaborator of DJ Screw’s.
Music
May 16, 2020
How a Small Hill Country Town Became a Hub for Traditional Country Music
Over the last three decades, a radio deejay has helped transform Brady into a place where twangy instrumentals reign.
Music
May 14, 2020
Jess Williamson’s Eclectic, Dreamy New Album Brings Her Back to Texas
With ‘Sorceress,’ the North Texas native adds to the growing canon of alternative country music inspired by the Lone Star State.
Music
May 12, 2020
Erykah Badu and Jill Scott’s Verzuz Battle Felt More Intimate Than a Live Show
In this ongoing Instagram competition series, the two luminaries demonstrated how nourishing music can be.
Music
May 6, 2020
Under Quarantine, a Dallas Music Teacher Is Broadcasting Surrealist Livestreamed Variety Shows
Chad Stockslager has adapted the medium to include embarrassing anecdotes, ASMR, original songs, and unexpected moments in his bimonthly series.
Film & TV
May 5, 2020
A Power Ranking of the Texans on ‘The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart,’ Round Four
Don’t worry: there are only two Texans left.
Music
April 30, 2020
Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé’s Electrifyingly Fun ‘Savage’ Remix Is for Texans, by Texans
When the Houston artists released the song, a benefit for COVID-19 relief efforts in their hometown, social media came to a near-standstill.
Film & TV
April 28, 2020
A Power Ranking of the Texans on ‘The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart,’ Round Three
In week three, the rules of the game change dramatically—and half the Texans left on the show go home.
Film & TV
April 14, 2020
A Power Ranking of the Texans on ‘The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart’
The spinoff reality show features plenty of musicians from the Lone Star State who are intent on finding love.
Music
April 8, 2020
On Texas Time: Fort Worth Singer-Songwriter Abraham Alexander
The musician on collaborating with Leon Bridges and how true crime shows inform his work.
Music
March 31, 2020
Meet the Professor Teaching a College Course on Selena and Her Legacy
Nathian Shae Rodriguez's class examines how the Tejano star influenced Latinx representation.
Music
March 23, 2020
Kenny Rogers: The Complete 2013 Texas Monthly Interview
The late musician about his early days in Houston, choosing socially conscious songs, and discovering Don Henley.
Music
March 20, 2020
Following Widespread Show Cancellations, Musicians and Programmers Across Texas Take Action
Smaller March festivals in places like Denton and McAllen were meant to raise funds for asylum seekers at the border and bolster local music communities.
Music
March 17, 2020
How a Cringeworthy Sound Check Changed This Classically Trained Violinist’s Life
The bandleader and composer Carrie Rodriguez, who grew up in Austin, changed her course after reconnecting with Texas music.
Music
March 17, 2020
Moving to Austin Changed This Singer-songwriter’s Life—and How She Thought About Death
Shawn Colvin on her early days in Texas, and thinking ahead to her final days.
Music
March 17, 2020
It Started With a Road Trip and Ended in a Nightmare
Austin singer-songwriter Walker Lukens often writes songs based on readers’ confessions. This is what he’d own up to.
Music
March 9, 2020
Megan Thee Stallion’s New EP ‘Suga’ Is Hurried but Potent
Coming off the heels of a recent label contract dispute, the Houston rapper’s latest effort is both varied and evocative.
Music
February 13, 2020
On Their Collaborative EP, ‘Texas Sun,’ Khruangbin and Leon Bridges Pay Tribute to the State That Raised Them
The eclectic band and R&B singer discuss how long drives and their teenage adventures in sneaking out alike informed the album.
Music
February 7, 2020
An Intimate Photo Exhibit at San Antonio’s McNay Art Museum Immortalizes Selena
Photographer John Dyer’s iconic photos of the fallen singer are being shown for the first time.
Music
January 13, 2020
Mayo Thompson Pays Off Corky’s Debt
In a rare move, the iconoclastic Houston artist took his only solo album on the road—fifty years after its release.
Music
December 18, 2019
For Singer Bill Callahan, Home Is Where the Art Is
Forget the tortured artist clichés. The critically acclaimed musician began making the best albums of his life when he settled in Texas and decided to try being happy.
Music
July 16, 2019
Premiere: Robert Ellis is ‘Gone to the Moon’ in New Video
To mark the 50th anniversary of Apollo’s 11 launch, Ellis covers Nina Simone’s classic version of “Everyone’s Gone to the Moon.”
Music
April 18, 2019
‘Homecoming’ Is Beyoncé’s Ode to the Power and Creativity of Blackness
The Netflix documentary (and surprise album!) offers an unfiltered look at how the Texas singer made music history at Coachella.
Music
March 21, 2019
Premiere: The Final Chapter of Terry Allen’s ‘Pedal Steal’
The Lubbock native talks about his trippy, blood-flecked radio plays, the border wall, and working with Jo Harvey Allen.
Music
March 1, 2019
Texas Monthly Recommends: Soaking Up the Sounds on Saturday Night with Joe Nick Patoski’s ‘Texas Music Hour of Power’
Plus, explosive photography from Austin, instrumentals from Billy Preston, and a podcast investigation of Anna Nicole Smith.
Music
January 2, 2019
The Best of Texas Music in 2018
Again, Texans proved that our state has one of the richest music scenes in the world.
Music
August 9, 2018
Exclusive Premiere: Kacey Musgraves Is a “Kansas City Star” on Roger Miller Tribute Album
Musgraves joined Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, and others to honor Miller's legacy.
Music
May 25, 2018
Dear Mark Cuban, Help Us Save Texas Music
We need a museum worthy of our music. And we need Mark Cuban's help to get us there.
Music
February 1, 2018
Exclusive Premiere: Kent Finlay’s Last Song
Chris Fullerton performs the final song of the beloved Texas songwriter.
Music
November 21, 2017
Listen to the Ultimate Texas Music Playlist
We set out to hear what our state sounds like. We brought back the latest and best of Texas music—so listen up.
Music
August 10, 2017
Exclusive: David Ramirez Premieres New Song “Time”
With fewer words and a lot more synth, Ramirez proves his songwriting chops stretch beyond roots music.
Music
July 6, 2017
The Madisons Debut Title Track from Upcoming Album, “No Man’s Land”
With their fourth record, the Austin septet solidifies their place as one of the hardest-working, hardest-drinking, and most compelling acts in the state.
Music
June 29, 2017
Rodney Crowell on Growing up in Houston, His Rise in Nashville, and Writing Honest Songs
A candid conversation with “the Houston Kid.”
Texas History
March 31, 2017
Watch Robert Earl Keen and Randy Rogers Swap Songs and Talk John T. Floore’s
The honky-tonk celebrates its seventy-fifth anniversary with two Texas country icons.
Music
March 30, 2017
EP Premiere: Radney Foster and Kyle Hutton Shine a Light on the Texas Foster Care System
With their forthcoming EP, the singer-songwriters seek to raise awareness for an issue that hits both of them close to home.
Music
March 20, 2017
High Times at Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion
Generations of Willie devotees came together to revel in music and good times with the Red Headed Stranger in his own backyard.
Music
February 8, 2017
Scott H. Biram Sets Aside the Whiskey for ‘Red Wine’
The Austin-based one-man band channels George Jones to create a honky-tonk ballad that’s the perfect soundtrack for drowning your woes in the company of your demons.
Music
January 24, 2017
Randy Rogers Takes the Reins at Cheatham Street Warehouse
To honor the lifework of his ”musical father,” Texas country star Randy Rogers purchases the historic honky-tonk that launched his career.
Music
December 12, 2016
Exclusive Premiere: Curtis McMurtry’s Sharp Insight into Loss on “Bayonet”
The Austin singer-songwriter uses the sound of a chamber ensemble to explore the limits of Americana and the darker side of the human condition.
Music
November 18, 2016
Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett Turn Gruene Hall Into Their Front Porch
Reflections on the penultimate Texas stop of Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett’s acoustic tour.
Arts & Entertainment
February 24, 2016
Texas, My Texas, You Deserve a New State Song
If you don’t know it, can’t remember it, or won’t sing it, what good is it?
The Daily Post
January 28, 2016
Kent Finlay, Dreamer
An exclusive excerpt from the forthcoming book by Jenni Finlay and Brian T. Atkinson.
Music
January 20, 2013
Birthplaces of the Blues
Want to see the Texas of Leadbelly, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Mance Lipscomb, and other pioneering musicians of the twentieth century? Your trip through time begins near Washington-on-the-Brazos.