The Rising Star Artist Showcase at the Iron Horse Pub
Inside Bailey Hatton's new monthly spotlight series
TheFUSE was lucky to catch the new Rising Star Artist Showcase at the Iron Horse Pub last week, hosted by Bailey Hatton, and it was an incredible night of smokin’ good entertainment by artists many of us have seen before, and some we hadn’t.
Here’s a rundown:
Zack Crow
If you’ve been around Texoma for any time at all, you know who Zack Crow is — a talented rock and country artist with songwriting chops for days and a great band that includes the rock-solid Mackey Divine on bass, incredible drummer Cody Choate, and on this night, Daniel Noe guesting on lead guitar (playing Bryson Lawrence’s Gibson.)
Zack Crow is always excellent — a show not to be missed — and this night was no different. Check him out on Spotify or Apple Music.
YoungRoad Recalls
Hailing from Archer City, Texas, YoungRoad Recalls would likely admit they cheated a bit on “country” night by playing a lot of rock music, a fact which singer Eli Anderson announced in advance on this particular night. Say what you want about the rules, but any young and loud group that plays Mississippi Queen by Mountain is just fine by us. Judging by how many people came to their feet when they heard Chayce Marshall’s cowbell intro, the crowd was fine with it too.
Justin Brown Band
The Justin Brown Band is a young rock and country band from Wichita Falls that had only been together for two months at the time of this gig. It was only their third gig together, and it occurred to us that this was exactly the kind of band the showcase was meant for — a young and hungry group of musicians with budding talent and great potential.
Sarah and The Hired Help
Sarah and The Hired Help is a country band from Denton, led by the uber-talented Sarah Schafer. Not only is Sarah a fantastic singer and fiddle player, she shared with the audience that this gig was the first she played sober — a real inspiring moment that the crowd loudly applauded. Sarah and her amazing band are definitely going in the right direction. Check out “Whiskey for Wine” on Spotify and Apple Music.
The Notorious Cool Arrows
The Notorious Cool Arrows are a well-known boogie woogie band from Wichita Falls led by Tim Maloney on bass, plus Paul Carr and Harvey Toalson on guitars. All three of them shared lead vocal duties at times, and the Arrows sound is rounded out by honky-tonk harmonica player Robbie Rhoades and drummer Barry Sloan.
It was a packed house on a Thursday night, and that’s something that’s been happening more and more often lately. If this first installment is any indication, next month’s Rising Star Showcase (metal night, July 11th) will be another banger. No cover and open seating. Get there early for the best table.
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