Asleep at the Wheel (2019)

One Liner: Every year's favorite western swing purveyors
Wikipedia Genre: Ameripolitan, Texas country, western swing (Ameripolitan is a new one for me).
Home: Austin, Texas

Poster Position: 17

Weekend One Only.

Thoughts: You know these guys, or if you don't, then you have never been to the opening morning of ACL on weekend one, when these guys are more predicable than grass turned to hay by day 3 and no AT&T cell service by 3pm each day. They still just crank up the excellent western swing stuff like they always have, and everything is all good.  Warms my heart that C3 continues to include them on the bill each year, despite the fact that attendance at their show probably wanes each year as more of the true Austinites at the festival die off and are replaced with 14 year olds vaping weed oil and asking where to find the EDM tent.

If you actually don't know them, then know that they have won nine Grammy awards, have over 20 albums, and have charted more than 20 songs on the Billboard country charts, while keeping alive a very particular type of country sound that was best exemplified by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys.  Ray Benson is the lead singer, and the 6 foot 7 dude is kind of a legend of the Austin music scene by now.  They were voted the best country western band of 1977 by Rolling Stone, which is a weird award, but right on.

They actually released a new album in 2018, which is a new and exciting wrinkle for these previews, as otherwise, each year has just been listening to "Hot Rod Lincoln" and "Miles and Miles of Texas" all over again and half-assing a preview.  So, what do we have here?  2018 album called New Routes, which would make you think that they are gonna change up their style and make their long awaited EDM album or something, but nope.  More western swing, country rock, soft country, and rockabilly packed into 11 songs.  Some are covers ("Seven Nights to Rock," "Dublin Blues," "Willie Got There First.") but a lot are originals.  

I wanted to hate on them re-making Guy Clark's "Dublin Blues," because that song is a damn masterwork, and on first blush I thought this one wasn't very good, but on repeat listening, I've decided that I will allow it.  They also do a cool tune with the Avett Brothers, paying tribute to Willie's effect on the rest of us all. Good one.  None of the songs from this album crack their top ten most popular - deservedly, most of those popular tunes are from the Bob Wills tribute Still the King (which is great) - and most of these tunes have been streamed less than 50k times, so I'll give you the most streamed, the one with the Avetts.  "Willie Got There First," with 102k streams.

I could curl up and sleep in the voices of the Avetts.  Just warm and cool and perfect.  Good tune, acknowledging that he already did everything worth doing in country music.  "I had such a good idea for a song!  But Willie, he got there first."  Of course, that is an Avetts song, so let's see about one of their new originals on this album - this is "Jack I'm Mellow," the album opener and with 67k streams.

Not only is that a fun little tune, but the video as advertisement for Willie's Reserve weed and the Luck Ranch outside of town are both a good time.  Also cool to feature the violinist as the vocalist - maybe that had been happening in the past, but she (Katie Shore) appears to be a new addition to the band and she sounds great.  

Go see, 'em, kids.  They play the best renditions of Bob Wills tunes since the King himself.