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Over 46,000 Readers Strong...and growing
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Kinky Friedman Poet of Motel 6 In Stores 3/21The storied Echo Hill Ranch – the four hundred acre property where Kinky Friedman lived for more than forty years and found endless inspiration and tranquility– is now the birthplace of his final masterpiece, Poet of Motel 6. This posthumous album, set for release March 21 on Hardcharger/Blue Élan Records, showcases the wit, heart and unflinching humanity that defined Kinky Friedman as one of America’s most iconic storytellers. Indeed, Poet of Motel 6 is not merely a collection of songs, it is Kinky's heartfelt goodbye, a reflection of his singular life and enduring legacy.
Produced by David Mansfield, a longtime collaborator dating back to Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue, Poet of Motel 6 captures Kinky at his most intimate. Tracked in the spring of 2023, the recording process was an emotional journey. Mansfield recalls the sessions as deeply personal with Kinky’s voice embodying both vulnerability and resilience.
The album features ten original songs, all penned and performed by Friedman. The title track stands out as a poignant elegy, inspired by the passing of his friend Billy Joe Shaver. “Kinky was very upset when Billy Joe Shaver died,” explains Hardcharger head honcho Jesse Dayton. “Kinky idolized Billy Joe. I hear that sense of loss.” Mansfield experienced it firsthand. “Those songs he wrote about people he cared about that had passed on, they were quite elegiac,” says the producer. “He sang beautifully, and at the end he was in tears. He was very emotionally connected when he was doing these vocals.”
Other notable contributions to the album include musical luminaries like Rodney Crowell, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Rick Trevino and Amy Nelson. The record resonates as a heartfelt tribute to Kinky’s unique perspective on life, loss, and love.
Poet of Motel 6 concludes a remarkable creative resurgence for Friedman. Beginning with The Loneliest Man I Ever Met in 2015, Kinky returned to music after decades dedicated to writing and activism. Subsequent albums, including Circus of Life and Resurrection, reaffirmed his status as a cultural icon. With Poet of Motel 6, Kinky achieves an artistic zenith, leaving behind an album hailed by Dayton as “his most heartstring-pulling record.”
Recipe of the Month - Campechana Sort of a combination of Ceviche and Gazpacho, this is a wonderful blast of Spring to ring in the season!
5 large homegrown tomatoes, chopped
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 English cucumber, chopped
8 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup white wine vinegar
3 TBS karo syrup
2 TBS Kosher salt
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
Juices of 3 large limes
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
2 large avocadoes, cubed
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper (or ground lemon pepper)
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined and boiled in crab boil, and cut in half crossways
1 pound lump crab meat
Combine 3 chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, white onion, garlic, vinegar, karo syrup, salt, black pepper and chipotle in a saucespan and simmer for 45 minutes over medium low heat. Dump the mix in a large bowl and chil in an ice bath. Using an immersion blender, zhuzh the tomato blend until smooth (or blend in batches in a blender). Return to your big bowl. Add remaining fresh chopped tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, shrimp, crab, avocado and lime juice. Let set in refrigerator covered in plastic wrap to get hitched (marry) for 30 minutes. Add salt/lime juice to taste. I like to serve these in those old fashion ice cream float glasses with sides of fresh sliced serano peppers, minced cilantro, lime wedges, tajin seasoning, good old fashioned saltine crackers, and visions of my favorite beach town!
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James McMurtry Highly Anticipated Record Coming Soon!James McMurtry continues on the road this month in anticipation of his upcoming record on New West Records due out this Spring!
“I first became aware of James McMurtry’s formidable songwriting prowess while working at Bug Music Publishing in the ’90s,” says New West president John Allen. “He’s a true talent. All of us at New West are excited at the prospect of championing the next phase of James’ already successful and respected career.” McMurtry perfectly fits a label housing “artists who perform real music for real people.” After all, No Depression says of the literate songwriter’s most recent collection, Complicated Game: “Lyrically, the album is wise and adventurous, with McMurtry — who’s not prone to autobiographical tales — credibly inhabiting characters from all walks of life.” “[McMurtry] fuses wry, literate observations about the world with the snarl of barroom rock,” National Public Radio says. “The result is at times sardonic, subversive and funny, but often vulnerable and always poignant.”
Don't miss a show near you!!
04 Mar Harvester Performance Center, Rocky Mount, VA
05 Mar Tin Pan, Richmond, VA
06 Mar Rams Head On Stage, Annapolis, MD
07 Mar Elkton Music Hall, Elkton, MD
08 Mar Daryl's House, Pawling, NY
09 Mar Levon Helm Studios, Woodstock, NY
11 Mar City Winery Boston, Boston, MA
12 Mar One Longfellow Square, Portland , ME
13 Mar Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, VT
14 Mar Bellows Falls Opera House, Bellows Falls, VT
15 Mar Center for the Arts of Homer, Homer, NY
16 Mar White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ
21 Mar Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, LA
22 Mar University of South Alabama: Laidlaw Performing Arts Center, Mobile, AL
23 Mar Continental Club Houston, Houston, TX
08 Apr Dan's Silverleaf, Denton, TX
09 Apr The Vanguard, Tulsa, OK
10 Apr Off Broadway Nightclub, St. Louis, MO
11 Apr Castle Theatre, Bloomington, IL
12 Apr Old Town School Of Folk Music, Chicago, IL
13 Apr Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI
15 Apr Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis, MN
16 Apr Wildwood Smokehouse & Saloon, Iowa City, IA
17 Apr The Waiting Room, Omaha, NE
18 Apr Knuckleheads, Kansas City, MO
WHENEVER JAMES IS NOT ON THE ROAD, YOU CAN USUALLY FIND HIM HERE IN AUSTIN, TX:
CONTINENTAL CLUB - 10:00 TUESDAY
CONTINENTAL CLUB GALLERY (SOLO) - 8:30 WEDNESDAY
CLICK HERE for more about James McMurtry
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Cameron Allbright - Any Part of LifeCameron Allbright backs earthy (“Any Part of Life”) and ethereal narratives (“Idaho”) with singular songwriting (“Supposed to Be”). Clear evidence: Any Part of Life. “Most of the time songwriting feels like digging up buried treasures,” Allbright says. “It’s just as laborsome as it is rewarding. This record is me exploring different circumstances – both fact and fiction – as I question my own morals and values. It’s just as much me figuring out life as it is me figuring out music.”
“I still can’t make up my mind if Cameron is a better singer or songwriter,” producer David Beck says. “Just when I think I’ve got him figured out he tosses out a vocal run that makes your head spin. Then he’s saying words that resonate with the oldest souls five seconds later. That combination is rare and is paired with the fact that he’s one of the nicest and most humble folks around. The Texas hall of fame needs to make some room very soon.”
“The new Cameron Allbright record is a great project from one of my favorite up and coming artists,” echoes noted West Texas-raised singer-songwriter Slade Coulter. “This record highlights his silky smooth vocals and it’s chock full of catchy melodies that will be stuck in your head for days. He’s one of the very few artists that have really caught my ear over the last year and this project definitely will show you why.”
CLICK HERE for more about Cameron Allbright
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Listen Up to Tim Meegan Jr. and the 105's. Available NOW!CLICK HERE to purchase NOW!
CLICK HERE to check out the Vehicle City Sound episode on Tim Meegan Jr. and the 105's.
Tim Meegan Jr. & The 105’s are a band forged in the fires of real-life experiences. Based in Colorado Springs, CO, they bring authenticity to their music, drawing on their lives as artists, firefighters, veterans and blue-collar workers. Their debut album, Race Against Time, captures the relentless pace of life, exploring themes of struggle, resilience and the pursuit of meaning with a sound that feels both timeless and fiercely personal.
At its core, Race Against Time is a testament to perseverance and passion. Its lyrics explore the tension between dreams and reality, touching on love, sacrifice and the grit of everyday life. Written and recorded during a transformative trip to Memphis, the album reflects moments of inspiration and clarity that felt guided by something larger than themselves. With songs that resonate deeply and speak to the soul, Tim Meegan Jr. & The 105’s have created a body of work that invites listeners to find hope and strength in life’s trials. CLICK HERE to check out this stellar live video!
CLICK HERE for more about Tim Meegan Jr. and the 105's
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Happy Texas Independence Day!Texas Independence Day (March 2) marks the 10th anniversary of Jenni's Dad (and godfather of Texas songwriters) Kent Finlay's death. In honor of his life and songs, Eight 30 Records will release Kent Finlay’s Independence Day on March 2! The new two-song EP serves as a preview for Finlay’s forthcoming full-length album The Get Along Ranch Sessions featuring a dozen of the Cheatham Street Warehouse owner’s original songs recorded at his home by friend and engineer Russell Tanner in Finlay’s last days. The Get Along Ranch Sessions – produced by Tanner and longtime friend Gregg Andrews (Dr. G) and featuring Big John Mills on guitar – follows Finlay’s long-awaited debut I’ve Written Some Life (released by Eight 30 Records and Finlay disciple Todd Snider’s Aimless Records in 2020).
The Get Along Ranch Sessions cements a legacy that remains as vibrant today as ever. “Kent asked me, Big John Mills and Gregg Andrews to come out to his house to put down some unrecorded songs,” Tanner says. “I grabbed my laptop, interface and a couple mikes from the studio and drove to Martindale. Kent had a stack of about two hundred songs on a Yellow legal pad paper. We got twelve. We could only do a few a day as Kent’s health declined and instead of the beginning of a fully produced record as we had intended what we got was a time capsule of old and more recent favorites. We had these three recording sessions in Martindale in February and Kent passed on March 2.” “It’s hard to believe that it’s been ten years since Dad passed away,” says Jenni Finlay, who co-owns Eight 30 Records with Austin-based writer Brian T. Atkinson. “And yet he’s not left us – not for one single moment. Every time you see him crooked that picture frame on the wall, every time songwriters re-think a line in the third verse, every time you remember that ‘the harder you work, the luckier you get,’ that’s Dad speaking right at you. He’s eternally present with his words in our songs and stories.”
Kent Finlay Song Search!
THIS JUST IN: The early round of Kent Finlay Texas Song Search will be held at Finlay's legendary Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos, TX on March 26. The winner will go on to compete in the finals at Fiesta JAM, a 501(c)(3) Benefiting Youth Music Education in the spring. Additionally, the early round winner will receive two four-hour recording sessions at john Arthur martinez's private studio. The overall winner in the spring will have their winning song promoted to radio by Jenni Finlay Promotions.
FiestaJAM’s Kent Finlay Texas Song Search contest – created last year in honor of the late, great singer-songwriter, Cheatham Street Warehouse founder and singer-songwriter mentor – will be held again this year as a preliminary round for finals to take place at the newly added spring FiestaJAM, slated for May 2025. Legendary music icon Finlay fostered the careers of many beloved singer-songwriters at his venue including George Strait, Todd Snider, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Terri Hendrix and Randy Rogers.
“This definitely is an event for singer-songwriter fans,” says co-founder martinez. “FiestaJAM celebrates the singer-songwriter tradition of the Marble Falls/Spicewood area that began decades ago when Country Music Hall of Fame inductees Floyd Tillman and Willie Nelson settled there.”
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Alt. Country Specialty Chart: Your Source for TWANG!
The Alt. Country Specialty Chart is the go-to radio chart for TWANG! With chart-toppers from Ringo Starr's Look Up to Jason isbell's Foxes in the Snow, ACSC is shining a light on the important music that NEEDS to be listened to – for some for the first time – to a panel of 70+ specialty shows around the world!
CLICK HERE for the Chart!
Our Artist Spotlight is Kevin Russell CLICK HERE
Our Chart Climber is Chuck Prophet CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE for Bands You Need to Know
CLICK HERE for Videos You Need to Watch
See our past Artist Spotlights archived HERE
(all written by author Brian T. Atkinson).
And don't forget to check out our playlist, updated every week HERE.
It takes between 20 and 30 hours a week to pull together the chart (which we have been doing since August of 2019), but only 5 minutes for you to support it. CLICK HERE to become a Patron of ACSC.
Without you, we wouldn’t be here, so please spread the TWANG and spread the word with your friends and neighbors!
CLICK HERE for more about The Alt. Country Specialty Chart - Your source for TWANG!
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Listen Up to Lynn Crossett!In a follow-up to his 2022 album In the Company of a Song, which debuted at No. 6 on the Top 50 Americana Country Album Chart, stayed in the top 10 for eight weeks, and remained in the top 50 for sixteen weeks, Lynn Crossett is back working with Grammy Award-winning producer Lloyd Maines on his latest release, Autumn to August. Brief background on Lynn:
"Lynn Crossett began playing music while he was also beginning his professional journey as a college student in Austin, Texas. The highway that he hopped on leading him to success in the legal profession always had a parallel service road toward singer-songwriterdom. He now lives in San Marcos, Texas and teaches there full time as a law professor at Texas State University.
"While Lynn had no unusual, direct musical influence as a child, by the time he hit his late teens, he had developed a strong desire to play guitar. For a while, however, he felt intimidated by the prospect. Then he had an epiphany: 'I finally demystified it and realized, Wow, most of the stuff I like so much is just three or four chords. I realized I could actually play these songs, and almost immediately started writing songs …' Songwriting has been his main endeavor ever since.
"Getting better as a musician and singer has also been an ongoing pursuit for Lynn, but songwriting has remained his primary focus. 'The artists I admire the most are really good songwriters,' says Lynn. 'They may not be what we would consider talented singers, or have naturally pleasant sounding tone of voice, but they deliver wonderful songs. I’m more drawn to those artists because I probably identify with that more myself.'” (Dan Walsh, Americana Rhythm Music Magazine)
With the release of Autumn to August, Lynn is embarking on a full-time music career, or as he has put it in recent radio interviews, “running away to join the circus.” Stay tuned for first single, "Great Big World," dropping March 28.
CLICK HERE for more about Lynn Crossett
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Brian T.'s New Kevin Russell Book in the Works
Brian T. Atkinson is currently working on How Will You Shine: The Songwriting Legacy of Kevin Russell (The Gourds, Shinyribs). The Austin-based author will be working on his ninth book for Texas A&M University Press into early 2026. How Will You Shine – an expansive volume tracking Russell's ascent from early groups the Picket Line Coyotes and the Grackles through iconic rapscallions the Gourds and his wildly popular rocketship Shinyribs – will be released following Atkinson’s forthcoming East Nashville Skyline: The Songwriting Legacy of Todd Snider (November 2025) and Always Chasing the Sun: The Songwriting Legacy of Judee Sill (Fall 2026). More details coming soon!
CLICK HERE for more about Brian T. Atkinson
Listen Up to The Scoundrels From Texas!
Friends, family and fans–If you've seen or heard The Ash Family over the years, you may notice a suspicious overlapping crew on their records as the Scoundrels From Texas, the country-rock band like no other. There they may be joined by great pickers like John Inmon, David Webb and Scott Wade. Why have another band? Well...because sometimes you just wanna dance!
CLICK HERE for more about the Scoundrels From Texas
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Justin Trevino Celebrates 36th Annual Heart of Texas Country Music FestivalCheck out the video above for "She Knows My Weaknesses" (written by Jenni's father, Kent Finlay)
CLICK HERE to purchase today!
A message from Justin:
Hello, friends! I am proud to report that our first Johnny Bush tribute night in Floresville was a huge success. We played four hours of Johnny Bush music for an audience of over 750 Johnny Bush fans. I could not have been more pleased with the turnout. We have four more of these shows this year. The next one will be at the Silver Wings Ballroom in Brenham, Texas on March 29. Aside from these shows which I am thoroughly enjoying, I also have my regular Justin Trevino Band gigs. March 1 we will be at the Ray Point Community Center. Ray Point is close to Three Rivers, Texas. March 13, 15, 18, and 22 I will be in my home town of Brady for the 36th annual Heart Of Texas Country Music Festival. Then in April I'm gearing up for some dates in Illinois where I will be sharing the bill with the Malpass Brothers.
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On a personal note... Happy Texas Independence Day! Hope you all celebrate and hoop and hollar in your hearts, spirits and souls (no matter whether you're in Texas or not) and fight for and find gratitude in the little freedoms we've had along the way. Remember the Alamo!
xox, jenni, lefty, lil, mr. mudd and gypsy sally
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JFP has openings for incredible singer-songwriters in April 2025
The March Newsletter is brought to you by our lovely supporters:
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john Arthur martinez hosts the Kent Finlay Songwriting Series at Poodie's Hilltop Tavern (sponsored by Jenni Finlay Promotions) 3/3 with special guest Eley Buck Davis. Don't miss it, Central Texas!
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If It Weren't for You - A Tribute to Walt Wilkins is in the works. CLICK HERE to be a part of it and thanks so much for your support.
CLICK HERE to catch Walt LIVE
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CLICK HERE for Ben Kweller's Cover the Mirrors Tour Dates!
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Check out the incredible feature on Curtis McMurtry in Texas Monthly HERE
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CLICK HERE to schedule your next recording session at Austin's REENERGIZED Barefoot Studios!
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Thank you to all the JFP artists and family for 18 years of amazing music. Here's to many, many more!
"In this line of work no one retires" - Scott Nolan
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CLICK HERE to purchase all the records by Eight 30 Records, including tributes to Ted Hawkins, Kent Finlay, Adam Carroll, Ray Wylie Hubbard and many more!
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jenni@jennifinlay.com | Austin, TX 78748 US
http://www.jennifinlaypromotions.com
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