Red River Playlist No. 9
Country, Rock and Metal from Oklahoma and Texas Artists
Well, well, well. FUSE followers came through big-time this month with suggestions aplenty in response to our Facebook query: Texoma artists with streaming music we should hear. Who are they?
The result is an eminently enjoyable, wide-ranging playlist spanning country, rock, and metal. We have Okies and Texans checking-in, currently touring bands, and even bands that are no longer together. Let’s dig in.
Red River Playlist No. 9
Country & Americana
First, the ladies make a strong showing on this playlist, with an incredible moody entry — A Girl Can Be — from Okie country pop rocker Adara Kay, who has as much in common with The Pretty Reckless and In This Moment as she does country artists. Also Dani Carson’s catchy song Pay My Bills is relatable and lyrically genius, and a total earworm.
Also representing the country genre, Gabe Choate, whose song Look at the Mess is bound to make you two-step into the night. Choate sounds like a top-notch national radio artist, too. 940 from Race Ricketts is traditional Country Americana, a love song to a familiar area code.
Rooster by TJ Todd Band is a heavy country rock banger that’ll make party people climb on tables. Likewise, Rose Tattoo by southwest Oklahoma’s Gannon Fremin & CCREV will make you pound the dashboard.
Wichita Falls’ Darion Ryan Roberts offers a new single, just in time for the holidays, Christmas of ‘99. In his customary singer/songwriter fashion, Roberts blends traditional Americana sound with poignant and nostalgic lyrics, in this case, a whimsical musical memory of the lead-up to Y2K.
The basement is full
with bottled water and food
I wish last week that we would have
gone to see Toy Story 2
And I’m feeling mad stressed
‘cause there might not be much time left
Should probably check on my parents
I guess I’ll just call them collect
The newsman on the TV
said this could be the end
So if this is our last one
Turn on Vince Gill’s Christmas CD again
Other country songs and artists featured on RRP #9 include the atmospheric Treading Water from Okie Smoke, the country folk of Hillbilly Shakespeare, Slacker Country rockstars Dexter and The Moonrocks, and the impressive debut single — Back to Austin — from Bret James.
Rock
For mainstream rock, we’ve included a track — Wasted on the Young — from now defunct Throttlebody, a Wichita Falls group that was on the verge of breaking out when the pandemic derailed everything, and included drummer Mike Hardison (presently of Blank Labels and Fake Happy), along with guitarist Jeff Catlin (the Kept), Aaron Epp on bass, and Ryan Hager on lead vocals and guitar.
LanceBattalion is one of our favorite young Texas bands from the DFW scene (Burleson). We first saw them live at Woody’s in Wichita Falls the night of our microburst storm in 2023, and escaped safe but soaked. After we’d dried off, we featured Lance Battalion’s debut single on Red River Playlist No. 3. Now, the guys are back with a new single, Runnin’, which showcases an evolved sound — lead single Pretty Woman featured a Muscle Shoals-inspired southern rock sound, whereas Runnin’ goes in a mainstream rock direction with shades of Bad Company and seventies classic rock.
Other rock selections on RRP #9 include a single from San Antonio’s Ratchet Dolls representing the sound of the Sunset Strip, and Medicine Man from Chasing the Coyote, an awesome modern rock band from tiny Tipton, Oklahoma.
Doom and Metal
For fans of the very heaviest stuff, RRP #9 features Gamma Goblin’s Doctor, a metal sendup of Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell from The Kept that would work perfect for any movie director looking for a song to put in the score of their dark psychological thriller, and songs from the prairie doom Astrothrone and A New Day Falls.
Last but not least, for a dose of boogie-woogie booty-shakin’, check out The Party Don’t Start Till I Get Here from Oklahoma’s Dirty Red and the Soulshakers.
Fish around in this playlist and if you find something you love, tell us about it in the comments.
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