MAKE PLANS NOW FOR NEW YEARS EVE!
Thanks to our friend at the San Antonio Express News , John Goodspeed, here’
s a quick look forward to Dec. 31, which, fortunately, falls on a Saturday:
Roger Creager, John T. Floore Country Store. Creager's known for explosive live shows, so be forewarned.
Cross Canadian Ragweed, Stoney LaRue and Wade Bowen & West 84 , Saengerhalle, New Braunfels. Ragweed blends rock/Southern rock sounds with country-influenced lyrics, and that's working magic. The breakup song "Fightin' For" has been No. 1 on the Texas Music chart for five weeks in a row. It's from the recently released "Garage," the group's third Universal South CD. If that's not enough, there's LaRue with rough-and-tumble Oklahoma Red Dirt music and Bowen's rocking Texas country.
Dale Watson & His Lonestars, Cabaret Dance Hall, Bandera. Want hard-core honky-tonk to usher in '06? You've come to the right place with Watson, who delivers real-deal country in the vein of Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, Merle Haggard, Ray Price and Johnny Bush — with covers and his own tunes.
Asleep at the Wheel with John Arthur Martinez, Gruene Hall. More than any other band around, the multiple-Grammy-winning Wheel has kept the torch burning for Bob Wills-style western swing. Opening will be Martinez, the Marble Falls country singer/songwriter who placed second in the debut season of the USA Network's "Nashville Star."
Jay Eric & Blieders Creek, Leon Springs Dance Hall. It's the last dance at Leon Springs, which is up for sale and will close after the New Year's Eve show. Eric also performed at the hall's opening 13 years ago.
Geronimo Treviño III, the Hangin' Tree Saloon. Treviño specializes in traditional country dance originals and covers and may present a few fresh tunes from a new book and CD project he's working on that will feature songs from Texas icons.
Cooder Graw will be at the Midnight Rodeo in Amarillo!
Eleven Hundred Springs will ring in the New Year at Hank’s Texas Grill in McKinney!
Mike Blakely & The Whiskey Traders, Luckenbach Dance Hall. It's a rare deal because Luckenbach books a New Year's Eve show only when Dec. 31 falls on a Saturday. Blakely, a Hill Country singer/songwriter/novelist with a western flair and more than a bit of a sense of humor, will be fired up and ready to party. There's also a special overnight deal at the Fredericksburg Inn & Suites that includes a shuttle service.
Now on to some other news:
Merle Haggard had to cancel his performance last week opening for the Rolling Stones' concert at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. A spokesperson for Haggard confirmed the cancellation and also said the Country Music Hall of Fame member has not been hospitalized. Delbert McClinton opened for the Stones' instead.

CHRISTMASTIME IN TEXAS
Sonny Burgess has released a new Christmas single on the holiday compilation disc Greater Than That: The Best Christmas Songs You Never Heard . The single, "Christmastime in Texas" features the vocal harmonies of Lantana.
The full album can also be purchased on Sonny’s website.

TX ARTISTS HELP KIDS IN NEED
Several North Texas musicians will join forces in a fundraising effort for the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center on Sunday, December 11, at Poor David's Pub, 1313 S. Lamar St., in Dallas. Rockzilla World, an online alternative country/Americana music community at www.rockzilla.net <http://www.rockzilla.net/>, is joining forces with veteran music promoter David Card and several North Texas musical acts to break the cycle of child abuse in Dallas County at the 2005 RockzillaWorld Christmas Party, benefiting Dallas Children's Advocacy Center. Some of the artists include Sara Hamilton, Macon Greyson and Rodney Parker & 50- Peso Reward.

WANNA CRUISE WITH PAT?
The Rock Boat 06 will depart MLK Weekend 2006 from Galveston, leaving Saturday, January 14, 2006, for a five-day festival at sea! Confirmed artists include Sister Hazel, Better Than Ezra, Pat Green, Pat McGee Band, Marc Broussard, Glen Phillips, Shawn Mullins, Michael Tolcher, Martin Sexton, Gaelic Storm, Josh Kelley, David Ryan Harris, Aslyn, Carbon Leaf, Blue Merle, Dexter Freebish, Virginia Coalition, Matt Wertz, Mat Kearney, Adam Richman, Wideawake, Dave Barnes, Getaway Car, Danielia Cotton, evenout, Five Star Iris, Stef Dorfman, Francisco Vidal, Scott Munns, John Hopkins, Zac Brown, Jackson Rohm and Icehouse "Battle For The Boat" winners, Florez.
They’ll travel on the Carnival Elation and stop in Playa Del Carmen and Progreso, Mexico (subject to change). For more info, check out Pat’s web site.

BUT DON’T FORGET MUSICFEST!
MusicFest at Steamboat Springs, Co., takes place the week of January 4 – 9!
Here’s a look at just SOME of the acts who’ve agreed to be a part of it: Ray Wylie Hubbard, Robert Earl Keen, Roger Creager, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Cory Morrow, James McMurtry, Lee Ann Womack, Jack Ingram, Hayes Carll, Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers Band, Drew Womack, Ryan Bingham, Jarrod Birmingham, Aaron Watson, Stoney LaRue, Micky and The Motor Cars, Susan Gibson, Jason Boland and The Stragglers, Reckless Kelly, South Austin Jug Band, Doug Moreland, Dub Miller and more! For more information, go to www.themusicfest.com

NEW ALBUMS!
Alejandro Escovedo has signed to Back Porch, which will release his seventh album (and first in five years) in early 2006.
Bleu Edmondson Band’s live recording, One Voice: the Live Album is finally available! It was recorded over several months at the Gypsy Tea Room in Dallas, Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, and the Sidecar Pub in Houston.

COMING SOON!
The new album from Django Walker, Six Trips Around the World , will be released on February 14, 2006! It was produced by Mark Bryan of Hootie and The Blowfish and was mixed by Nick Brophy who has worked with a large variety of musicians including the Rolling Stones, Keith Urban, Avril Lavigne and Everclear, among others. Just in the last few weeks the Django Walker Band has paired up with ZZ Top in Oklahoma City and made several Texas appearances with Hootie and The Blowfish!

HEADING BACK TO THE STUDIO
Eleven Hundred Springs is working hard on their next studio album, too. They will be spending time in Santa Barbara, CA and Manhattan recording demos and doing some pre-production in December. But don’t worry; they'll make it back to Texas in time for their December 17th show in Grapevine.
Miranda Lambert is back in the studio this month cutting some new stuff for her sophomore release! I don’t know many details yet but as soon as I know, I’ll let you know!

SPINNING AWAY!
Congratulations to Delbert McClinton, Rodney Crowell and John Hiatt, whose current albums have each passed the 10,000-spin mark while still in the Top 40 on the Americana Airplay chart. Both Delbert and Rodney have also had good success on the Texas Music Chart!

Katie Key
Chart Editor
Best In Texas
2500 Tanglewilde, Ste. 106
Houston, TX 77063
katie@shanemedia.com