West Texas native Aaron Watson has been a star in the Texas music scene for two decades. His eighteenth album ‘Red Bandana’ released in June, and it’s a phenomenal twenty-song opus. He performs “Trying Like the Devil" in the latest installment of our Sound Check series. Presented by Visit Fort…
Fort Worth band Grady Spencer and the Work combine blues and classic country, creating a unique sound of their own. Watch the latest in our Sound Check series with their song "Grant," from their 2019 album Celebrate.
Fort Worth soul/R&B singer Abraham Alexander plays his debut single, "America," in the Texas Monthly Studio.
For the latest in our Sound Check series, the Austin-based duo, Ghostland Observatory performs “With or Without You” from their album, See You Later, Simulator. Presented by Visit Fort Worth…
Watch this exclusive live performance of the title track from his 2017 album, The Doubles.
W.C. Clark is known as the "Godfather of Austin Blues," and he proved that he still has a strong hold on that title during his Sound Check session.
Explore everything Cedar Park has to offer with Alice Kerley, a Life and Style blogger from Houston. From handmade chocolates to board-crushing hockey, Cedar Park excites the senses and provides the perfect vacation getaway for any Texan.
Euless is home to one of the largest Tongan communities in the U.S. In this documentary, Huay-Bing Law explores how the immigrants have revitalized the local high school football team through the story of one player, Patrick Vahe.
In the small town of Gonzales, Texas, a cattle auction serves as the cultural focal point, bringing residents and carrying the community’s heritage forward.
Filmmaker Annie Silverstein chronicled the scene and the dancers at Sefcik Dance Hall in Seaton.
Mac Coleman always knew he wanted to be a professional bronc rider. This documentary film by TJ Martinez profiles the Texan as he pursues his dream—after losing his eyesight.
The BBQ Shop in Farwell couldn't get any further west and still be in Texas. Founded along the New Mexico border in 2010 by Kelly and Judy Mimms, the joint became a Thursday tradition for many since that was the only day it was open. The BBQ Shop has gone…
How much do you know about our state? We asked born-and-bred Texans and newbies to play some Lone Star trivia at the Austin City Limits music festival.
Follow native Texan Andrew Roush as he introduces us to Texans living abroad from the Lone Star State and discover what these TexPats love about their adopted homes. Next stop: Steamboat, Colorado.
The tradition of using direct heat to cook barbecue might be disappearing across the state, but it's alive and well at Ronnie's BBQ in Johnson City. For more than thirty years, Ronnie Weiershausen has manned the flames over coals in the pits outside while his wife, Cindy, rules the inside…
The man, the myth, the legend: Roy Hindes is known throughout Texas and the hunting community for his skill—and his dogs. Watch as Texas Monthly and Porsche take a trip to South Texas to meet the man behind the myth.
As a star wide receiver at the University of Texas, Jordan Shipley’s obsessive approach to the craft won him recognition as an All American athlete. After four years in the NFL, Shipley brings that focus to bow hunting, most recently on the Outdoor Channel show “Bucks of Tecomate,” where he…
Nobody’s Girl was formed in 2017 out of three Austin solo acts, all of whom had individually won the "New Folk" award at the annual Kerrville Folk Festival. BettySoo, Grace Pettis, and Rebecca Loebe stopped by Texas Monthly's studio to perform their lead single “What’ll I Do” from the EP…
Big Cat BBQ sits just outside of Austin, in the Hill Country suburb of Cedar Park. It's named for its owner, James Jones, whose nickname is—you guessed it—“Big Cat.” In 2015, Jones opened Big Cat with an emphasis on traditional barbecue style, emphasizing slow cooking, classic meats, and staying far…
In our latest Sound Check, two-time Grammy nominee Eliza Gilkyson stopped by Texas Monthly's studio to perform "Seculare," a haunting thank-you letter to life and all of its complexities.
For the latest in our Sound Check series, the Austin-based duo performs "Miss Abyss" from their new album, See You Later, Simulator.
The Houston-based group stopped by our studios to perform a song off their latest album, ’Everything Here.’…
Is it a pleasant smell, or is it just creepy? In this episode of "Little Known Fact," David Courtney finds a link between bacteria on a dog's paws and everyone's favorite corn chip.
Before heading out on their first European tour, the honkytonk-inspired barroom country band stopped by Texas Monthly to play "Steak Night at the Prairie Rose," a heartfelt ode to lead singer Mike Harmeier's father. The song is the title track for the band's critically acclaimed third album.
In our premier Texas Monthly Trove film, Skip Hollandsworth takes a look back at one of the strangest stories in his writing career, involving a beloved funeral director, a wealthy widow, and a tragedy in the small Texas town of Carthage.
NPR called Israel Nash’s new album, Lifted (July 27), “a dreamy spiral to get lost in.” Before beginning a nationwide tour, Nash, whom Rolling Stone describes as “a master of sonic textures,” stopped by Texas Monthly to play “Rolling On.”…
Watch as food editor Pat Sharpe explores two different visions of Italian-American dining.
Matt Sever comes by his moniker honestly. He’s been making music in Austin for the past two decades, but as his stage name indicates, Sever came up as an electrician. Watch this exclusive live performance of the title track from his 2013 album, It’s a Beacon, It’s a Bell.
Momma Jean’s BBQ in Lampasas, which opened a little more than a year ago, is named after gregarious pitmaster Johnny Walker’s 89-year-old mother, who taught him how to cook.
In the first installment of "Little-Known Fact (About Texas)," David Courtney, a.k.a. the Texanist, looks into a Smithville, Texas, word so large you can see it from space.
On her new album Conversation With a Ghost (released June 22), Giulia Millanta confronts loss in all its iterations. The resulting album is full of longing, beauty, and—through it all—a sense of hope.
In 2016, Paul Cauthen gave us his gospel. Now, he’s asking for mercy. The East Texas troubadour stopped by ‘Texas Monthly’ to play the title track off of his EP ‘Have Mercy,’ which drops June 22.
In this episode of Sound Check, Terry Allen, Lloyd Maines, and Bukka Allen take us to the “Bottom of the World.”…
For the launch of the new Texas Monthly video series, “Spaces: A Look at How Texans Live,” a companion to our “Spaces” photo series, Decker takes us through her West Austin home. Find out more about what’s in that shoe collection as the affable and unassuming actress talks about…
Xochitl Rodriguez is an artist and El Paso native with deep roots in the mountains of West Texas. Our state’s landscape is part of everything for Rodriguez—from her art to the relationships with the women in her family. Rodriguez is committed to passing the tradition of a wild, untamed spirit…
Mex Step, Easy Lee, and DJ Chicken George, from San Antonio’s Third Root, stopped by Texas Monthly to perform “Third Root Radio,” a shout-out to an underground radio station from Houston.
Nina Diaz has a message for all of the people who, as she says, “try to push you down”: stop. The former Girl in a Coma frontwoman dropped by Texas Monthly for a rendition of “Down” from her 2016 solo album The Beat is Dead.
To celebrate the greatest Texas musician of all time—and to find out why he keeps playing and writing when his peers have all quit or died—reporter Michael Hall visited him on his bus before a show in Austin.
Jorge Avalos is a retired U.S. Army veteran who served for 23 years. In 2011, he was skydiving when his canopy collapsed. The accident paralyzed him from the waist down. After a year of physical therapy, he eventually began to walk—and ride—again. Avalos currently lives with his family in San…
Where to find the best banh mi, a place you can’t leave without an order of tater tots, and a savory shrimp BLT—James Beard Award–winning chef Justin Yu of Theodore Rex guides us on the ultimate (and diverse) food tour of Houston, his hometown.
Located along the Llano River, the Castell General Store offers everything from kayaking and groceries to Cockaroo the rooster and, on Saturdays, delicious barbecue (including some of the best pork steaks in the state). Welcoming you to it all is owner and town character Randy Leifeste. “If…
JT Van Zandt, a fly-fishing guide and son of the late singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt, speaks to the need to make sure Texans have access to the wild things and wild places in our state, both now and for generations to come.
Owner and pitmaster Kim Dunn opened Pit Stop Bar-B-Q in Temple in 2010, after working for decades in fast food. You can order brisket and crunchy coleslaw, or taste Korean flavors in dishes like galbi beef ribs, kimchi-spiked jambalaya, and dumplings.
Discover the best of old and new Fredericksburg with resident Katie Turpin as the blogger behind Sunshine Texas Day and mother of three visits some of her favorite shops, with stops for wine and snacks along the way.
Food editor Patricia Sharpe reveals why Houston chef Hugo Ortega’s Oaxacan-inspired restaurant is the most exciting place to eat in Texas right now.
Follow native Texan Andrew Roush as he introduces us to Texans living abroad from the Lone Star State and discover what these TexPats love about their adopted homes. First stop: Santa Fe, New Mexico.
“Everybody always said, Nate, you are crazy. You cannot do that. And now you have Nelson’s BBQ.” Nathaniel Nelson, with the help of his wife and three kids, is upholding traditional barbecue at his San Antonio-based food truck.
Find out what attorney Rachel Lindsay, the first African American lead of ABC’s The Bachelorette, has been up to as she takes us on a fun-filled tour of her go-to spots for shopping, sushi, coffee, “healthy” cocktails, and art inspiration.
We go along for a ride in professional BMX rider Aaron Ross’s 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera as he spends a fun-and food-filled day in his hometown, from hitting golf balls to enjoying his favorite grilled cheese.
