By Jason Jones
EAST TEXAS – We all knew it was coming . East Texas got in on the ground floor . The Iron Horse Saloon , Outlaw Country , Neon Country , Banita Creek Hall and many other venues buried in the pines showcased the talents of a local band . These guys , however , were a little different than the hundreds of other local acts who made the same circuit . There was no way to put your finger on it , but there was something that rang differently when they played .
Back in those days , Whiskey Myers ’ performances were marginally predictable given they had one solitary album of original material . There were a few covers mixed in to pay homage to the band ’ s heroes and influences , but make no mistake – it was the original music that people came to hear . “ Lonely East Texas Nights ,” “ American Outlaws ,” “ Summer 2005 ,” “ TYA …” the 200 to 300 ( or more ) people who showed up at every venue knew every word and sang right along with Cody Cannon .
East Texas embraced and loved Whiskey Myers . They were our own . They were the pineywoods ’ offering to the musical gods and , much like Ronnie Van Zant ’ s soaring vocals on “ Freebird ,” we sent them flying off on wings shaped like a Les Paul and a Stratocaster . Wow . Have they ever flown . A decade or more down the road finds a Whiskey Myers that has seemingly become more than we collectively ever expected . Individually , each member has grown and honed their craft in ways that rank them among the greats . Having spun their first release , “ Road of Life ,” endlessly for such a long time , finding out that it was only the beginning , and that they could and would be even better with each offering , was an eye-opener . We all fell in love with “ Ballad of a Southern Man ” and “ Broken Window Serenade ,” but as time went on and we were gut-punched by the likes of “ Reckoning ” and “ Stone ,” it became obvious that “ our ” Whiskey Myers was now “ everybody ’ s ” Whiskey Myers .
That ’ s right . Ohio and Illinois also feel that they have a claim . And thanks to tours as far-reaching as Europe , they aren ’ t the only ones . The fact that you can turn on your television and catch the band on Kevin Costner ’ s “ Yellowstone ” means that the entire country is finding East Texas ’ worst-kept secret .
The difference is that Whiskey Myers knows their roots . East Texas gets a “ Dogwood ” now and again .
Now “ Tornillo ” is on the horizon . With a release date of July 29 , it will become the band ’ s sixth offering to a public that can ’ t seem to get enough . So … what ’ s a “ Tornillo ?” A quick check on Google would tell you that it ’ s a small town in west Texas on the Mexico border , roughly halfway between El Paso and Fort Hancock . It ’ s also the name of a Puerto Rican pastry much like a cream horn . The band , presumably , is referencing the former . We shall find out soon enough as “ Tornillo ” looks to be the name of one of the album ’ s tracks .
In the meantime , the band has released “ John Wayne ” and “ Antioch .” Both are powerful , up-tempo tracks that embrace the familiarity of what we know about Whiskey Myers ’ ability to bring the thunder , but different at the same time . The band has a gift , rare to find in modern music , of producing songs that don ’ t recycle past hits . These two songs prove to be evidence that the band ’ s songwriting well is deeper and wider than anyone could have expected .
While the possibility of revisiting 2010 and catching Whiskey Myers at an intimate venue seems unlikely , there is absolutely no shortage of places to find them on a road trip . The band recently announced a June show at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison Colorado . U2 recorded a concert film there in 1983 . A few weeks before the guys load in for their set , none other than Stevie Nicks will do a show there . To say that Whiskey Myers has moved on to larger and more well-known venues is a gross understatement , but man , what a sweet road trip that would be .
Barring the possibility that the new album ’ s title track is , in fact , about a sweet , cone-shaped pastry , we can all finally look forward to expanding our soundtrack come late July with the music we have all grown with and come to love . For all intents and purposes , all indicators point to the fact that Whiskey Myers , a group of friends who arose from the swirling , pine-scented winds surrounding East Texas , will continue to evolve on their own terms while we pick our collective jaws up from the floor .
Follow Whiskey Myers at whiskeymyers . com or on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter .
Tornillo is Whiskey Myers sixth studio album and the band ’ s second self-produced effort .
COURTESY PHOTO | PALESTINE HERALD-PRESS
PALESTINE MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022 | 25