I heard a quote once that stated, "I expect that every writer is secretly writing for someone else."
I am no exception to this.
Although I write mainly to appease the creative monster roaring inside of me, I do have a mentor, I do wonder if he would be pleased with my opinions, and I only met him just this year.
And as strange as it sounds that someone lives seven hours by car from Lubbock but has had such an impact on what I choose to write about.
You may be asking yourself: Who is this person?
He is Chris Oglesby, the author of "Fire in the Water, Earth in the Air: Legends of West Texas Music," a man who I think is a major contributor to the Lubbock music scene.
Recently, Chris posted two top-10 lists on his Web site, www.virtualubbock.com, outlining the best albums featuring Lubbock musicians and the best songs that feature the Hub City.
I agree with him wholeheartedly: These artists embody the innovative nature that comes along with creating music in Lubbock.
However, 10 is just not a big enough number to name all those who contribute to the "Lubbock sound." In the spirit of building on Chris' idea, Lubbock should know about a few others he did not mention, the artists who help make Lubbock what it is today.
Some of them have been here all along. Some have not. And some surely will find themselves elsewhere in the future.
Thrift Store Cowboys: Drawing inspiration from open landscapes and the wind, Thrift Store Cowboys is a relatively young band in comparison to the Texas BelAirs (at the top of Chris' list) who find solace in their roots nonetheless. Many roots bands have large emphasis on a heavy country-rock sound, but Thrift Store Cowboys have strayed from what is becoming mainstream, focusing on dark lyrics and haunting sounds with a West Texas twist. With this band we get a variety of instruments synonymous with the South: the violin, the banjo and the steel guitar.
Stephen St. Clair: Not quite Texas country but not entirely the blues, the music of Stephen St. Clair straddles the line between the two genres and inspires a movement away from the typical "frat rock" Texas Country has become. St. Clair takes his music in the opposite direction of the mainstream. Until recently, St. Clair had been playing mostly solo, but Lubbock musicians have taken a sudden interest in playing with this artist - perhaps it is the deep soothing vocals or maybe it is their sympathizing with his heart-felt lyrics that detail some of life's harder times.
Brian Wheeler: Known to his close friends and family as "Bubba," this Texas Tech art professor not only spends his free time creating artwork for a studio owned by him and his brother, Jeff Wheeler, but he also creates music. His down-home style lyrics, in combination with a harder and dirtier blues acoustic guitar sound, is a direct reflection of a southern nature shared by many west of the Mississippi River. The difficulty others have had doing justice to Bubba's music while playing shows with him is proof of the talent he harbors.
Jason Martinez: Though Jason himself is not a songwriter, his name warrants mention. As the winner of Lubbock's Newcomer of the Year Award , Martinez seems to have appeared out of nowhere. He learned to play the accordion merely a few years ago with a background in salsa, and has since become a popular commodity amongst local musicians seeking a new style of blues, bluegrass and country music. These days, you are most likely to find him playing with the Texas BelAirs, a group fronted by the well-known Kent Mings. As an added bonus, Martinez brings his 2-year-old son to play guitar at his father's side at his shows.
I have only given a few names in detail, but there are several other Lubbock artists who I would like to mention: Jesse Bellew, John Sprott, Doug Haines, Andy Eppler, Philip Coggins, Angela Estes, Keegan McInroe and Brandon Adams are all local musicians who have been contributing to the Lubbock music scene for a while now. Undoubtedly, their efforts should be recognized.
Though I know I have left many artists out of my column, today I feel these most closely resemble the "Lubbock sound."
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