The TMT Soapbox

By Mark Elswick

–Today

During a recent phone interview, Fat Dixie front-man Jared Sutton, formerly of Bishops Alley, summed my feelings up best. When asked about being in the Texas Country Music family, the Oklahoma native proclaimed, “I’m not from Texas, but I’m damn proud to be part of it.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself, Jared.

– February, 2005

At that moment, I was oblivious to the Texas music scene. As a college English professor in Michigan-yeah, I said Michigan-I stumbled upon YKM. (Your Kind of Music) As I diligently sat pecking the keyboard for grades, assignments, and what-not, I took a brief time out. During this pause in the action, I happened to be looking up links for a certain singer. Unfortunately, I had heard only a couple of his songs on the radio.

Thanks to Google, yahoo, askjeeves, alta vista, and other search engines that I had experienced, (c’mon, I teach English, not computers) I found myself conducting a highly intensive Deryl Dodd search. However, this brief time out quickly turned not-so-brief.

My initial search was put on hold as I was hypnotized by a NKM. (New Kind of Music) I was listening to never-before-heard-by-me artists, i.e. Boland, Bowen, Rogers, . . . This new site, www.radiofreetexas.org, had carried me away from my work. I was eager to learn more about this unbeknownst-to-me KM. (Kind of Music)

– March, 2007

This new site had captivated me. I no longer listened to the radio at home. Instead, I turned the computer onto this site. I practically lived on El Presidente’s site, while even ordering a few CDs from this “foreign” land known as Texas. The music and Texas Music Times have kept me abreast of these regional stars.

However, being a passionate person, I had to dig deeper. Shooting an email to the Texas Music Times magazine’s editor, I explained who I was, how much I loved TKM, (Their Kind of Music) and how I wanted to help “Spread the Word.” Fortunately, after numerous email correspondences, I was given my first assignment—Spur 503. I was going to write about anyone and everything in the country music bizz.

My first interview was phenomenal. The guys even went out of their way to get in touch with me. I was a link to Spur’s fans, and they happily shared any information for their followers.

Then, it happened. Almost as quickly as the promising thoroughbred racing career of Barbaro ended, the high horse that I had mounted fell lame. Shockingly, I found out that there is a difference in country music.

I sent an email to a certain Nashville singer, hoping to conduct a phone interview and write an article, sharing tidbits of his work and life. The reply I received was quite devastating, considering the high that I was riding.

I never even got the chance to interview him. Apparently, his manager feels that his “people” only read and stay attuned to huge publications. As this “star’s” manager briefly informed me, she couldn’t let just anyone interview him. The magazine or newspaper that you’re going to sell the article to, she went on, must be of high circulation and well known.

Discouraged by the email conversation, I turned to my editor at TMT, Keith Howerton. He assured me, “That’s how Nashville is.” Furthermore, he added that I should not let that one instance discourage me when there is so much good, uncovered music in the Longhorn State. Furthermore, he virtually guaranteed that it is produced by extremely cooperative performers. Basically, he told me that I was better off without that story, and I should pursue the regional artists.

That one occurrence goes a long way toward making me a true Texas Country Music lover, luring me away from mainstream country. After all, I am finding out that there are so many talented musicians in the TMT coverage area that I really do not need to waste my time on the over-publicized Nashville stuff I have digested for so long. Remember, we do not have MCM (Michigan Country Music) up here. All we have is mainstream/national/billboard country. However, thanks to my “time out” at the office, (don’t tell my boss) my musical taste is much improved.

Now, whenever I talk to anyone in the Texas music industry, I am proud to think that this is OKM. And it is obvious that every interviewee agrees. They always leave me feeling as if TX Country Music is not YKM or TKM, but rather OKM. (that would be Our Kind of Music)

“I’m not from Texas, but I’m damn proud to be part of it.”

Editor’s Note: Well said Mark. I could not have said it better myself. It is the difference between us (including you) and them. You don’t have to live in Texas to know that there is a real country music movement in this world and it is not in Tennessee. Welcome to the club.