Friday - august 6th
Arena Gates Open at 4:30 PM Music Starts at 5:30 PM
All Ages - 8 and Under Free of Admission
All Ages - 8 and Under Free of Admission
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Ward Davis
American Singer/Songwriter from Monticello, Arkansas by way of Nashville, Tennessee, Ward Davis has had songs recorded by Trace Adkins, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Wade Hayes, Sammy Kershaw, Bucky Covington, Jimmie Van Zant, Buddy Jewel, Carolina Rain, The Roys, and more. Most recently, Ward Davis co-wrote “I’m Not The Devil” with Cody Jinks, with whom he subsequently toured with nationwide. With over 250 shows per year under his belt as both a headliner and support act, Ward Davis’ already popular live show is growing at exponential rates
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Tanner Usrey
Sometimes it’s the “happy accidents,” rather than elaborately laid plans, that lead to something lasting, and that’s precisely the case with award-winning Austin rock and roll stalwarts, The Band of Heathens. “It’s really funny how the loose, tequila-fueled weekly side-project that started almost 14 years ago has evolved into what the band is today,” singer and songwriter Gordy Quist says with a laugh as he recalls the band’s road to success. But planned or not, the band has enjoyed sustained success for more than a decade, racking up 10 albums and more than twelve hundred performances in thirteen countries.
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Jordan Nix
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The lowdown Drifters
The Lowdown Drifters are a country folk rock band from Washington State formed in 2015 from a shared love of songwriting with the goal of fostering and furthering the tradition of authentic
and meaningful music. The Drifters began building a fan base and core group of original songsleading up to the 2016 release of their first album Wood & Water and buoyed by their 2019
release Last Call for Dreamers. The past years have seen the Drifters go from writing andplaying their original songs for friends to venues and festivals across the country with artists including the Cadillac Three, Stoney Larue, Cody Johnson, Lee Brice, Chris Knight,Micky and the Motorcars, Randy Rogers Band, Parker McCollum, Shane Smith and the Saints, Jason Boland, Cody Canada, and Leanne Rimes. Along with Last Call for Dreamers reaching #44 on the iTunes country chart in April 2019 with the single Wont Find Me Anymore reaching #60 on the MusicRow country radio chart, their 2020 released increased their listenership to over
100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify alone. With multiple releases and a national tour planned for the Spring and Summer of 2021 the Drifters continue to expand their circle of fans and cement their place as a force to be reckoned with in the industry.
and meaningful music. The Drifters began building a fan base and core group of original songsleading up to the 2016 release of their first album Wood & Water and buoyed by their 2019
release Last Call for Dreamers. The past years have seen the Drifters go from writing andplaying their original songs for friends to venues and festivals across the country with artists including the Cadillac Three, Stoney Larue, Cody Johnson, Lee Brice, Chris Knight,Micky and the Motorcars, Randy Rogers Band, Parker McCollum, Shane Smith and the Saints, Jason Boland, Cody Canada, and Leanne Rimes. Along with Last Call for Dreamers reaching #44 on the iTunes country chart in April 2019 with the single Wont Find Me Anymore reaching #60 on the MusicRow country radio chart, their 2020 released increased their listenership to over
100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify alone. With multiple releases and a national tour planned for the Spring and Summer of 2021 the Drifters continue to expand their circle of fans and cement their place as a force to be reckoned with in the industry.
Saturday - August 7th
Arena Gates Open at 4:30 PM Music Starts at 5:30 PM
All Ages Welcome, 8 and Under-No Charge
All Ages Welcome, 8 and Under-No Charge
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William Clark Green
I first met William Clark Green in about 2010, at that time just emerging among Texas' musical cast of characters as a young hopeful. Most clear in my memory, even amid the party that a live music backstage scene can tend to be, Will was the happiest guy in the place – clearly exactly where he wanted to be, and loving every second. This was a contagious vibe from the outset, one that Will had no trouble channeling into music that rings in the heart of the listener, and a live show as inspiring as it is entertaining. Between two acclaimed and successful albums, 2012’s Rose Queen and 2015’s Ringling Road, and what now clocks in at a near-decade's worth of dogged road work, William Clark Green has established himself as one of the most important voices of his genre - a voice that now pipes up again on his anticipated new album, Hebert Island.
Texas is a big place, complete with fully distinct sub-territories - we reserve the right to bust into several states, should that become strategically expedient - and our traveling musical artists tend to become experts on the rich mosaic that makes up Texas' cultural geography. Will has found himself onstage in a growing portion of her 254 counties, and has called several his home; as he puts it, "I kinda spend six years everywhere". Childhood northeast in Tyler, high school years in College Station, college years at Texas Tech in Lubbock, early music career years in the north-central hamlet of Eastland, and lately his most urban digs so far, in Fort Worth - but deep down, Will's Cajun roots call to him incessantly, and thus southeast Texas is never far from his mind. The new album is named for Will's retreat at Hebert Island (say "AY-Bear", though you'll occasionally hear "HEE-Bert") near Beaumont, and refers to the hilltop upon which his camphouse sits - not an actual island, but a potential one, should the occasional flood come to pass; high ground is valuable in this landscape. Will considers himself a "half-ass coon-ass" - a distantly-descended Cajun, but one who holds a deep appreciation for that history and that way of life. "It's a real place", Will insists, with the feeling that only such a beloved space can foster - his family has owned it since 1869, in the early years of Reconstruction, and is where they established one of the state's first rice farming operations. It's a place that echoes through time for William Clark Green, connecting his family's past and tradition to who he is as an artist, and as a man, today. It's been over three years since Ringling Road. "I'm not gonna force songs," Will sighs. "We could have finished the record a long time ago, but we didn't like the mixes - we're the bosses, and we don't have to listen to ourselves." The pressures and deadlines of the professional recording artist are nothing new, and while he certainly notices that pressure, Will recognizes it to be a good problem to have. "I remember when no one gave a shit, so yeah, it's incredible to have that want-to. So far, every record I've come out with has been my best record - I wrote my ass off for this one. I wanted to make sure it beat Ringling Road, and I'm not bragging on myself - I just knew it was going to take effort." That effort has paid off; Hebert Island is a stellar new batch of songs from a guy who has gone to great lengths to keep his energy focused, through all distraction, on quality songcraft. "My favorite songwriter is Guy Clark - the songwriter's songwriter. It's what I've always cared about the most...the craft of songs is really where it's at for me. I think good songs are undeniable." Mostly recorded at Nashville’s Sound Emporium with Benjy Davis at the board, the new album also features players who have been backing Will for near the full ride, including guitarist Steven Marcus and bassist Cameron Moreland. “Goner” stands as a shimmering, no-hard-feelings take on the moment of breakup, the protagonist of the quasi-travelogue “Stay” understands that it doesn’t matter where you are, as long as you’re close to love, and the ballad “She Loves Horses” exemplifies both the warmth and strength that’s developed in Will’s songwriting and the performance power of his players. Will's desired contribution to the world is songs that change lives for the better, and he realizes that he's conduit as much as creator for that change. And in spite of - or, perhaps, because of - the demands and pressures of the life he's chosen, and the position of leadership he's earned through a decade of determination, William Clark Green is a guy who takes none of this for granted. "Our path is guided by something that's greater than me, I believe that. We can be very proud of what we've accomplished; we've done it the right way...I feel very proud of what we've done, and I'm thankful every day for where we're at." |
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Sunny Sweeney
Sunny Sweeney makes it look easy. Just as comfortable commanding a stadium stage on tour with Bob Segeras she is pouring her heart out from a listening-room stool, she is an outlier: A humble East Texas kid with super-star chops, singing her own songs made up of equal parts wit, soul, and hard truth. Four albums into a career that has earned praise from Rolling Stone, NPR, American Songwriter, and more, Sunny has drawn a loyal following, experienced the major label deal, and ultimately, embraced her independence––and smart country music that likes to have its rock and honky tonk too is that much better for it. Sweeney will release a new live album, Recorded Live At The Machine Shop Recording Studio, on November 13, 2020, and is currently in the studio at work on her next record.
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Charles Wesley Godwin
West Virginia is far more than meets the eye. A native of Morgantown, singer-songwriterCharles Wesley Godwin paints a rich and honest portrayal of his homeland and its people with his debut album.Senecais a moving snapshot of his 26 years of life and well-soiled roots in the Appalachian hills, a backdrop that has given birth to some of the most intelligent and hard-working people in the country.When you partake in his gripping storytelling, it comes as no surprise that Godwin’s shared bills with the likes of Shooter Jennings, Tyler Childers, Colter Wall, Luke Combs, Aaron Watson, David Allan Coe, Sundy Best, Waymore’s Outlaws and Nicholas Jamerson. Godwin is truly at home on stage and alongside like-minded musicians who go against the grain and shake up the status quo.“This album will give people a really good look into what it’s like culturally in Appalachia. People have a way-off view from the outside of what we’re all about, what our priorities are and how smart we are,” says Godwin. The record is steeped to perfection in gentle mountain streams and a way of living that is surprisingly universal. Through earnest, sinewy craftsmanship, he mitigates the stereotypes that plague the state and reconfigures expectations.Another essential piece of his story, “Shrinks and Pills” exhibits a dry, sly humor and sees Godwin lament the roar of the open road in his ears and an unquenchable homesickness wedged deep in his bones. He misses the comfort of his homestead, but he wouldn’t have it any otherway–heartache be damned. “Hardwood Floors” dazzles in the dim light of a local pub as he shares a tender embrace with his wife amidst the ho-hum of the crowd.Notable players include Eric Heywood (Son Volt, Ray LaMontagne & the Pariah Dogs) on pedal steeland Ben Townsend (of Hillbilly Gypsies) on fiddle and banjo. From start to finish, the record is riddled with an abundance of “human things,” Godwin says, like failure, the ups and downs of marriage, and getting back to a simpler way of life.His ideals seep into every inch of his work and stem from humble beginnings of working the West Virginia land and being taught what really matters in life at an early age. Godwin’s father was a coal miner and his mother a schoolteacher. He grew up hunting, fishing, and playing sports, living a pretty traditional homespun life.It wasn’t until much later–after being cut from auditions for the West Virginia University football team–that he picked up the guitar in his spare time. A year later, he could play a full song quite expertly, and he knew then he was on to something. During his 2013 study abroad in Estonia, his frequent rehearsal sessions in his apartment flat drew the attention of flatmates and led to his first-ever gig at a fashion show. “It was really never anything I intended to do,” he recalls.But it was clear this was his destiny. When he returned to the United States and later graduated from WVU in 2014, he realized he had a great talent in singing and playing bluegrass and traditional country music. Godwin soon started touring and playing out professionally, beginning a full-time music career in 2015. He enjoyed a short run in a band called Union Sound Treaty, but conflicting schedules led to lackluster shows and overall unreliability.It was time to branch out on his own, and that’s when Senecabegan to take shape. The album, especially in such moments as “The Last Bite” and “Sorry for the Wait,” is an amalgam of influences, running from Creedence Clearwater Revival to Simon & Garfunkel to The Allman Brothers. Godwin’s voice echoes off the weathered but still vibrant Appalachian countryside, rumbling up the peaks and tumbling back down into the valleys, and his heart-torn confessionals are born of the earth itself. Charles Wesley Godwin carries his past firmly on his shoulders. He hasn’t been damaged by such a symbolic act, however, and he’s only grown wiser and more aware. On Seneca, he proves to be a fitting ambassador for West Virginia and a people long misunderstood and tragically forgotten. If anything, listeners will rediscover their own wants and desires within the album’s sonic walls and universal themes of compassion, strength, and unity.
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These tickets are for Back Country Bash, not for a specific artist. Artists, and schedule are subject to change without notice.
Artist cancellation is not grounds for refund.
Artist cancellation is not grounds for refund.