Influences
Not in Any Order:
Bill Monroe, Kitty Wells, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, John and June Carter Cash, X, The Knitters, Doc Watson, The Carter Family, Rose Maddox, Buck Owens, Neil Young, Hazel Dickens, Gram Parsons, Lloyd Maines and Jimmy Martin.
NASHVILLE SKYLINE
Check Out Texas Music From The Texas Sapphires
By CHET FLIPPO
Another impressive debut comes from the group, The Texas Sapphires. They are an exuberant, spirited bunch of rag-tag, sort of honky-tonk punkers.
With their male and female co-lead singers, they sound to me very much the spiritual children of both Asleep at the Wheel and Gram Parsons. In fact, The Sapphires conclude their debut album Valley So Steep with a convincing and emotional rendering of Parsons' "Las Vegas."
I have not yet seen them live, but I am sure they are a hell of a lot of fun in person onstage. A song such as "Bring Out the Bible (We Ain't Got a Prayer)" has to make you smile.
NASHVILLE SKYLINE is a column by CMT/CMT.com Editorial Director Chet Flippo.
AUSTIN CHRONICLE
Texas Platters Record Review
By MARGARET MOSER
With Rebecca Lucille Cannon riding herd as sweetheart of the rodeo and Billy Brent Malkus' cowboy soul, The Texas Sapphires burst out of the chute with their debut CD, Valley So Steep.
Dealing out reinvigorated classic country in 11 original compositions, plus an ace version of Gram Parsons' "Las Vegas," The Texas Sapphires lay down a full house.
Small wonder they staked their claim as Best New Band in the recent Austin Music Awards or that they landed shows with Ray Price and Dwight Yoakam.
The local quintet wears its genre like an old pair of spit-shined boots on "Bring Out the Bible (We Ain't Got a Prayer)," "Cold Silver Ring," and "Driftin' In," thanks to producer Lloyd Maines' suedecloth touch.
"Ladyfest, TX" suggests the Carter Family doing pickup gigs with Porter and Dolly.
Malkus and Cannon are ably assisted by bandmates Jeff Joiner, Paul Schroeder, and Ram Zimmerman, with guests such as Kim Deschamps and fiddler Warren Hood.
Given Nashville standards, country music should be safe for the iPod world. With Valley So Steep, The Texas Sapphires buck that system like a nicotine-patched bronco.
THE TEXAS SAPPHIRES ON YOUTUBE
Live on ME-TV in Austin, Texas
The Texas Sapphires debut CD Valley So Steep, produced by Grammy
Award Winner Lloyd Maines, is now available in stores and at all shows.
"The Texas Sapphires, are a breath of fresh air in the
boiling pot of new music in the country today... Inspired Songs, great vocals
and diverse band members that toss their respective musical influences into the ring .. The end result is a great listen." Lloyd Maines
Pearl-snap buttons and skull and crossbones belt buckles, Nudie inspired embroidered Western wear and full sleeve tattoos. The
Texas Sapphires are not your average country band. They blend their punk and country roots to play what they know best--a unique concoction of vintage hillbilly, honky-tonk, and rock and roll, with perfectly matched guy/gal vocals and energy-infused live shows.
This Austin-based Country, Americana, Bluegrass band combines an old-time, classic mountain vibe with lyrics that give their tunes a modern edge. Praise for their live shows across Texas, and a well-produced demo, caught the attention of Grammy Award-winning producer, Lloyd Maines, (Dixie Chicks--Home), who offered to produce and play on their debut CD, Valley So Steep. Austin fans showed their support by voting them Best
New Band of 2006 in The Austin Chronicle and at the Austin Music Awards during SXSW 2006.
Billy Brent Malkus
A former Chesapeake Bay-area hog farmer, Malkus left the Baltimore punk scene in '97 to come to Austin with his new band "Mondo Generator," with members of the Dwarves and Queens of the Stone Age. Manure still on his boots, he sought to show those Urban Cowboys (who were busy sullying the country music he'd grown up with) a thing or two. In the wake of the band's demise, Malkus dug closer to his roots and began playing in various honky-tonk and Americana outfits. He currently plays guitar and sings backing vocals with Nathan Hamilton in his band No Deal. His discography is extensive, featuring releases on the indie labels Caroline, GoKart and Southern Lord -- as well as lending plenty of chicken-pickin' tele, vocals, and dobro to many Austin-area recordings.
Rebecca Lucille Cannon
Former frontwoman for Austin's pop-punk favorites Sincola, Rebecca has several successful releases on Caroline and Rise Records under her belt. Her vocal stylings have been compared to the likes of Siouxsie Sioux, Chrissy Hynde, and Patti Smith, but lately she's been aspiring to more Kitty Wells and Sara Carter comparisons (especially since her East Texas grandma, Billie Joe Nutt, raised her on the outlaw sounds of Merle, Waylon, Willie, Cash, and Patsy Cline, from a very early age). But no matter who people think she might sound like, Rebecca is more intent on creating her own niche, riding somewhere between classic country and good old American rock and roll.
Bob “Slim Bawb” Pearce
Born on Elvis’s birthday, son of a yodelin’ man, Bawb made his living playing music 5 nights a week for 32 years in Northern California. The first 12 playing pedal steel, banjo, mandolin, dobro etc. with Hot L Sacto and other country bands. Bawb started his own band, The Beer Dawgs in 1986. He wrote all the songs on their 10 albums and was inducted into the Sacramento Area Music Hall Of Fame (SAMMIES) in 1995. He moved to Cedar Creek, Texas in 2006 and joined the Sapphires in 2007. His “swampgrass” band, Slim Bawb and Gator Bait has 2 albums out and continues to perform around the Austin area. Check out Bawb at www.myspace.com/slimbawb.
The Texas Sapphires play as a five piece, with drums, bass, pedal steel, and Dobro added to the mix. Honorary Texas Sapphires that have played or recorded with them include Lloyd Maines on Steel and Dobro, Kim Deschamps (Steel and Dobro-Blue Rodeo, Cowboy Junkies, Charlie Robison), Nathan Fleming (Pedal Steel-Jesse Dayton Band, Billy Dee Band), Scotty Matthews (Drums-The Derailers), Justin Kolb (Bass-Jesse Dayton Band), Jeff Joiner (bass), and Warren Hood on the fiddle.
Look for The Texas Sapphires to tour extensively in 2008 in support of Valley So Steep and Roadhouse Gems now out on Stag Records.
"THIS is what country music is supposedto sound like!"
-Darcie Stevens, The Austin Chronicle
The Texas Sapphires' song Dirty Tattered Houseshoes is featured in the film .. Murder Party
The Audience Award for Best Feature
The Slamdance Film Festival
2007.
we are on our way back to TX after a GREAT West Coast run that wraps up on Sat May 2nd at the Scoot Inn in East Austin w/ our good friends the Mother Truckers...c'mon down!
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