Musicians

Kathryn Legendre, a native Texan, has become a fixture of the Austin music scene, playing her own brand of original honky tonk. Folks will tell you that she's never been one to follow trends – that encompasses Legendre's whole outlook on songwriting and, well, life. Along the way, she’s built a catalog consisting of her 2013 debut album Old Soul, 2016 EP Don't Give A Damn, 2019 EP Making It Up, and 2020 singles, “One Long Sad Song” & “Waiting In Line.” As a result, Legendre has earned 2020 & 2023 Honky Tonk Female Ameripolitan nominations, as well as a 2021 Austin Music Awards Best Country Artist nomination. She’s also been featured on 2023 festival lineups, including Two Step Inn, Stagecoach, and ACL Music Festival. Most recently, Kathryn released a new full-length album, Here’s Your Honky Tonk (June 2025).

From the deep in the heart of Texas, Billy King and The Bad Bad Bad is a Power Psych band based out of Austin. They blend power psych, tough attitude, and raw American rock n roll grit who refuse to be boxed in by an industry obsessed with Algorithms. Their mission is simple: create the best rock songs they can not bound by genre, stand with the independent artists and outsiders who feel the world shifting, interrupt the status quo and liberate the entire globe. No one is free until we are all free.

Few artists have lived as many musical lives as Alejandro Escovedo — and fewer still have made each one count. From the raw electricity of San Francisco's first-wave punk scene with The Nuns, to the avant-garde underground of late '70s New York, to helping lay the very foundation of Americana music in Austin with the legendary True Believers, Escovedo has spent decades doing what most artists only dream of: constantly reinventing himself without ever losing his soul. No Depression Magazine crowned him Artist of the Decade in 1998, but that was just a milestone on a journey that shows no signs of slowing. His latest album *Echo Dancing* — a bold reimagining of songs from across his storied career, recorded in Italy with world-class collaborators — is yet another reminder that Alejandro Escovedo isn't just a Texas treasure. He's one of the most vital and fearless voices in American music, full stop.

The Sentimental Family Band is an Austin-based country trio made up of songwriters Camille Lewis, Kyle Albrecht, and Matthew Shepherd, who have been a staple of the local scene since 2019. Though none of the three came from country music roots — having previously played in indie and experimental projects — they found their way back to the genre through shared nostalgia and a love of classic sounds. Named as a nod to Tommy X Hancock's Supernatural Family Band, a touchstone from their youth, the group built a following playing two-stepping sets at Austin venues like the Sagebrush and White Horse before gradually weaving in original material. Their debut album *Sweethearts Only*, recorded with producer Billy Horton at Fort Horton Studios, blends traditional country influences with their more experimental sensibilities, resulting in a mellow, heartfelt record that reflects both where they came from and where they've arrived.

Gary P. Nunn has been TAKING TEXAS TO THE COUNTRY and Texas country to the world for some 40 years now, establishing himself as an icon of Lone Star music.

Four VaTOs gÜeROs from remote Terlingua, Texas who have over 15 years evolved a unique border sound that is muy Mexicano but at the drop of the hat turns to Beatles, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Merle Haggard, and James Brown for inspiration.

Keegan McInroe is a writer, musician. and international touring artist based in Fort Worth, Texas. Keeping in spirit with his predecessor troubadouring minstrels, Keegan has spent the better part of the last two decades traversing the roads, wildernesses, and cities of the Old World and New, weaving the resulting experiences and observations together with varied influences from folk, country, and the blues to create an original and evolving tapestry of lyric-driven American roots music. McInroe has shared the stage with Leon Russell, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Willis Alan Ramsey, Otis Taylor, Carolyn Wonderland, Ian Moore, and others. He has been published in various papers and magazines for his travel writings, stories, poems, and occasional forays into politics. He is the host of The Keegan McInroe Radio Hour and The Uncouth Pilgrim Podcast.

Mark David Manders has been a mainstay in Texas music for over twenty years. His music reflects his life: an intriguing dichotomy of the introspective soul searcher and the beer swilling, drunken poet.

Victor Trevino Jr. has been performing for over performing professionally for 10 years. Specializing in vintage music and theatrical styles, he finds it hard to stick to one genre. His appreciation for the theater, as well musical and visual arts, inspired him to pursue a career that allowed him to give his talents to the world.

Formed in North Texas, the Tabasco Birds encapsulate the Cosmic American sound of Gram Parsons and the deep resonating lyrical style of the Silver Jews through a modern lens. This eight-piece group of musicians and songwriters develop lyrics that go straight to the feels. Their songs can make you get up and dance or break down and cry at any moment. Through dynamic Americana arrangements, the Tabasco Birds evoke excitement even in the most blue moments.

His original Texas sound is a blend of Country/Folk/and Americana with lyrics that will make you laugh, cry, stomp your feet, and sing along!

Austin-based band The Droptines live wildly between the lines of Americana and rock and roll – what they dub alternative Americana. Signed to Big Loud Texas, the band sets their first full-length project with the label, Drought Flower, for April 3. Their artistry is defined by lead singer Conner Arthur’s vocal growl and reminiscent of The Droptines’ most pointed influences like rock heroes Tom Petty and James McMurty. Working with lauded producer and Big Loud Texas co-founder and president of A&R Jon Randall, the gritty band’s new music is entrenched in a southern vernacular – writing and performing the songs they want to hear most. Defined by a “beatnik-like itinerary of a lost soul’s activity” (Saving Country Music), The Droptines set out on their headlining Drought Flower Tour beginning in April.