I have been waiting for some time for last night to happen. I think it was like 3 or 4 months ago when I first saw the show announcement. I casually posted on the Twitter once that it would be so cool to see Mason and The Gin Line open for the Vandoliers. There must’ve been some kind of prophecy in my word, because someone actually made it happen.. but better. Better because they added The Band Laredo to the Lineup.
Sort of a mini tour occurred this weekend where Mason and The Gin Line, The Band Laredo, and the Vandoliers played at Laredo’s home court – Magnolia Motor Lounge in Ft Worth and again at The Bluelight in Lubbock. I was super blessed to have caught the Lubbock show. All these bands are great- And so much fun to watch live.
I was talking to my little brother and several friends and we are all in agreement that this may have been one of the last times that we would ever see some these guys in such an intimate venue again. They are all capable of selling out much larger ones and have all shown ability of being the Headliner. Getting to just bask in their presence, the laid back atmosphere and hearing the best music in the world were definitely some of the highlights of this year. I also enjoyed that the same show with the same lineup and makeup held in two cities across the state from each other meant more folks could enjoy it. It was almost as if the homies in DFW were present in Lubbock, because they had just done the same things I was doing and hearing only hours before. Of course the homies that were there last night made everything just right!
I began to get to know Blake on Twitter and I got to meet him in person a year or so ago in San Marcos. Since then we have kept in contact. We have lots of similarities about our lives and the biggest is our love of music. Anything and Everything to support these guys that are making the sounds that we love to hear. He made the trip from Austin to Lubbock – he is actually originally from the area- so this homecoming from him was an extra treat when he got to see this lineup of musicians.
Last night I met Clayton Smith live in person. Clayton is another guy who until now I have only followed on social media. Smith is the guitar for the Band Laredo, an independent musician and songwriter himself and is also part of the Rye Boys Band as well as multiple other projects. Our conversations last night were enlightening. We too love and respect the same guys and gals of this musical industry and the same styles of music.
The Band Laredo opened last nights show and jump started the Bluelights flame with their hard hitting songs like Gasoline and Kerosene.
With their blends of countrified rock, us in the audience were already enjoying a journey that was just beginning.
Mason and The Gin Line took the stage next and with their home court advantage they got the crowd primed and pumped up for the next level. Their set included many tried and true favorites about their lives on the Cap- Rock with their lyrics which include the local blue collar work and the surrounding towns. They also mixed in several of the songs from the new album Sangre. Mason has begun developing a sound all of its own- a mariachi blend that ends in heavy metal and blues rifts. I have been watching these guys from the very beginning and they never disappoint.
Headlining the show last night was the Vandoliers . The first time I ever saw these guys was during Covid and so I got to see them perform as a trio . Joshua Fleming, Travis Curry the fiddler and Corey Graves who plays horns and keys and anything else he can get ahold of. I was able to catch them a few months ago in Dallas as they released their most recent album, as a full band and they rocked the house and sold me as a life long fan. Last nights show was no different. These guys can go hard for the entire set and the energy that can be felt throughout the audience is something that cannot be matched.
Other highlights of last night was the great conversation with many old friends. Making new ones and I got to spend a little time with my baby brother and introduce him to reasons why I love following this Texas Music Scene.
If you want to have some fun then go catch a show- I haven’t seen many bad ones- but this show last night was definitely one for the books.
Pancho.