CMT Blog: Dale Watson

If you thought the line for Hannah Montana concert tickets was long, wait until April 6. That’s the day of the open casting call for extras who want to play a part in the Hannah Montana movie.

Replicated right down to the tin of baby powder, Dolly Parton’s one-room cabin of a childhood home is on display in Dollywood, and now on this blog.

Alt-country fans, take note. Shout! Factory has acquired the catalog of HighTone Records, once home to Buddy Miller and Dale Watson.

See the Dancing With the Stars team of Julianne Hough and funnyman Adam Corolla interview each other in this clip from The Insider.

And if you really like reality TV, set your DVRs for Wednesday night when Dolly Parton takes the stage on American Idol, as well as former finalist Phil Stacey.

Monday March 10

Arrived in Austin in time for our show with Dale Watson at the Continental Club. Dale’s a legend, and we’re honored to share the stage with him. It was a lot of fun to be in town before the SXSW music festival starts. We got to watch bands start to trickle in (the number of touring vans and buses was unbelievable!), and enjoy all this cool city had to offer before the crowds set in.

The band was a little nervous, but it looked like these folks were a Saturday night audience even though itwas only Monday. We hoped we could get them up and dancing and warmed up for Dale!

Tuesday March 11

Monday night’s show was the kind that made us want to be musicians in the first place. The band sounded great, we put on quite a show, and the excitement about the upcoming days of the festival only added to the buzz in the Continental Club. SXSW also has a film festival that takes place the week prior to the music festival, and they were screening an independent film in the club before our show, which was a great hang. Seemed like the moviegoers were a little tired of sitting after the film though because they were definitely ready to get up and shake it once we started to play.

I’ve been to a lot of memorable shows at the Continental during my SXSW visits. I’m proud to add my band’s to that list.

We were off Wednesday, time for a much needed rest. We’ve been on tour for almost a month, so sleep and alone time are precious. The music portion of SXSW started Thursday, and we needed to be on our game.

Sarah Borges

Looking over the lineup for the Big State Festival, I was so happy to see one of my favorite bands on the roster – Reckless Kelly, who can pack the house in their home turf of Austin, Texas. They do pretty well here in Nashville too. Go see ‘em if you can. They’re always touring and never disappointing. I invited them to send in a blog entry about what’s going on with them and here it is:

“We have been on the road all year long and have done shows with Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Robert Earl Keen, Cross Canadian Ragweed and many, many more, totaling well over 200 performances. We recently signed with MTM management out of Raleigh, N.C., and are currently shopping for a new recording contract. We have been writing a bunch and hope to have a new studio record out early next year.

“Our family concert, the Braun Brothers Reunion, in Challis, Idaho, was a huge success this year with over 5,000 people through the gate over the weekend. Our friends Cross Canadian Ragweed joined us, as well as our father Muzzie Braun, uncles Bill and Gary, and brothers’ band Micky and the Motorcars. A few of our heroes — Robert Earl Keen, Dale Watson and Kevin Welch — also shared the stage with us.

“Currently, we are trying to finish off some new RKTV EPs, including a new ‘What You Got’ and much more. We are looking forward to the Big State Festival and hope to see you all there.”

If you’ve ever visited the Reckless Kelly Web site, the announcement about a new “What You Got” is nearly as exciting as their Big State show. These guys have a wicked, twisted sense of humor, which is evident after even just a few minutes on their site. If you’re curious to hear their music, I highly recommend their live album, Reckless Kelly Was Here. They’ve got a show at Gruene Hall coming up this weekend too. Man, I wish I could go. That’s a winning combination if I’ve ever heard one.