Whiskey Myers | Dirty River Boys | Grant Gilbert John T. Floore Country Store | 10.19.2019
Whiskey Myers; what else can you say about this band that hasn’t been said in the past year? They’ve released an eagerly awaited new self-titled album that landed at #1 on the Billboard charts, they’ve opened for the Rolling Stones at Soldier Field in Chicago, they’ve performed on the Today Show, they made an appearance in Paramount Network’s show Yellowstone with Kevin Costner, and they continue to sell out venues big and small everywhere they go. That’s a highlight reel that most bands dream of. Yet, that still doesn’t seem to say it all.
After their on-camera appearance on Yellowstone last year, Whiskey Myers’ album “Mud” went #1 on the iTunes country chart as fans of the show who had never heard of the band downloaded it. That put them in a good position for the release of new material and the anticipation for the new album began to grow in June 2019 when the single “Die Rockin’” was released, which was written with Texas native and all-around icon Ray Wylie Hubbard.
Let’s be honest, though. Whiskey Myers has never been a band that’s cared about charts, or how many people they’re playing to. They’ve never been into following the crowd. The only thing they’ve seemed to care about is getting better at what they do. “It’s all about honing your craft as you get older,” frontman Cody Cannon told PEOPLE Magazine in a September 2019 interview. “You want to be better than last year and you want to be better than your last song, you know?” Better with every performance and every album release. Which is one of the reasons why they decided to produce the new album themselves. They wanted to take everything that they’d learned from the past albums and mold it into something that is 100% Whiskey Myers. Honest, real, and unapologetic, as the band puts it.
The first time I was able to catch a live Whiskey Myers show several years ago it changed my world. Admittedly, at the time, I had barely heard of them. However, from the minute they took the stage, my only thought was… “Where in the hell have these guys been?!” I’m sure I’m not the only one that’s had that same realization after seeing a Whiskey Myers show, but since that time, they have consistently, without a doubt, been one of the best live shows I’ve seen. That brings me to the topic at hand: October 19th, 2019 at the historic John T. Floore Country Store in Helotes, TX. Although, not a surprise to the fans that have been paying attention, it seemed fairly evident that Whiskey Myers have ascended to another level and broken free from the “regional” moniker that has been with them up until this point. They patiently worked towards catching a bigger wave and now they’re riding it high. That wave however, is still made strong by their intensely supportive Texas fanbase, which was self-evident at this Floore’s show.
Grant Gilbert and The Dirty River Boys opened the show and energized the crowd before Whiskey Myers hit the stage, but once they did, all bets were off. From the opening notes of “Gasoline” (the fifth song on their new album) until the final triumphant send off of a killer cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World”, Whiskey Myers took the swollen crowd on a musical roller coaster like no other. The setlist was, of course, laced with quite a few songs from their new release including “Gasoline”, “Bury My Bones”, “Die Rockin’”, and the John Jeffers tune, “Bitch” which he wrote about hearing too many songs that sounded the same on the radio. It also included a couple of great covers, including the aforementioned Neil Young hit, and a cover of ZZ Tops “La Grange,” which was sung by guitarist Cody Tate. All in all, a well-rounded setlist that satisfied all fans, new and old.
While you could say that Whiskey Myers is a band that doesn’t take themselves too seriously, the same can’t be said for what they do. Their new album speaks volumes about how serious they are when it comes to making good music their way. Make sure you check them out when they roll into a city near you!
Whiskey Myers is currently on a short two week break, but head back out on the road on Nov 7th. To see their tour dates, check out whiskeymyers.com.
Setlist: Gasoline Frogman Deep Down in the South Bury My Bones Early Morning Shakes Broken Window Serenade Bar, Guitar and a Honky Tonk Crowd Die Rockin’ Virginia On The River Wild Baby Shake Me Ballad of a Southern Man Home Bitch (acoustic break) La Grange (ZZ Top Cover) How Far Stone Rockin’ in the Free World (Neil Young Cover) For more information about where the Dirty River Boys will be on tour, checkout dirtyriverboys.com
For more information about where Grant Gilbert will be on tour, checkout grantgilbertmusic.com