Will Payne Harrison new single release June 5 2026.
From what Harrison has been saying leading up to the release, “Nikon Camera” is less about photography gear and more about seeing life through a different lens—capturing moments as they happen instead of letting them pass by. He’s described it as a song about life being blurry and unclear at times, and about living in the moment like a photograph frozen in time.
That idea hit me harder than I expected this morning.
Maybe it’s because I’m at an age where I realize the pictures matter more than the things in them.
A few years ago, I would’ve looked at an old photograph and seen an old pickup, a fishing pole, or a campfire. Today I look at that same picture and see people. Some are gone. Some have moved away. Some I’ve been lucky enough to get back after nearly losing them. The older I get, the less I notice the scenery and the more I notice the faces.
A camera can freeze a moment, but it can’t stop time.
Lord knows I’ve spent enough years wishing I could rewind a few things. Some moments I rushed through. Some people I took for granted. Some sunsets I never stopped long enough to watch. Recovery taught me something important: life isn’t lived in the rearview mirror. It’s lived right here, right now.
These days I find myself paying closer attention.
A grandson telling a joke he’s already told three times.
My wife laughing at something that wasn’t all that funny.
Coffee on the porch before the West Texas wind wakes up.
Friends around a table after a meeting, solving none of the world’s problems but somehow making everything better anyway.
Those are the pictures worth keeping.
That’s what I hear in Nikon Camera. Not a song about photography, but a reminder that life is happening whether we’re paying attention or not. The image may be blurry sometimes. The road ahead may not always come into focus. But every now and then, if we’re lucky, we get a moment so clear that we wish we could frame it forever.
The good news is we don’t need a camera for that.
We just need to be present.
And maybe that’s the point.
— Pancho Take the picture. Hug your people. Watch the sunset. The moment won’t wait.
Smoking a cigarette, South by the lake waitin on a West Texas sun
Matt Moran:House Fire
The long anticipated release by Matt Moran and the Palominos , The BA’AR has finally came to fruition. it might just be Moran’s finest work to date.
As I sit here this morning giving it another listen, I happen to be wearing a T shirt that depicts an American Alligator and The adage ‘Swampy Tonk.’ A Tee gifted me by Will Payne Harrison who served as the Mastering Engineer for this album. We as fans of Matt have also been able to follow the progression and transition of this creation through multiple videos and posts on social media due to the efforts of Harrison.
Matt Moran and Will Payne Harrison have been touring throughout Texas and Louisiana in the previous months to promote the BA’AR , have some fun and plain just enjoying life..
I first met Matt through other singer songwriters Zach Welch and Jason Harrell. Zach and Matt would soon team up and begin their own festival Sad by Southwest.
“We didn’t get invited to South By Southwest in Austin,” Moran said.
“But Fuckem” Welch added.
And together they started their own damn festival in the Ft Worth area. Sad by includes multiple Americana , alt country and Punk bands that still believe “Sad Songs Make me Happy.” I am honored to have been there at the very first. Sad by Southwest just finished out their 3rd season.
Jason Harrell can be heard on several tracks on the BA’AR. He plays a sad fiddle and plays it well. Harrell is a multi instrumental singer and songwriter and performer. He plays regularly with some of the best alt country bands in Texas.
Other Band Members include Matt’s brother, Daniel Moran, who plays bass, keys, and harmonica on the album.
Jonas Walker keeps the heart beating in the band with his hard licks and hard rocking style of percussion.
Guitarist Nate Walker’s grit and rhythm can be heard throughout the album.
Comanchero is just a small sample of what this album contains. It was the first single released from the album. The first time I heard it , I knew that Moran was going places. Watching him grow up in public has been a highlight for me.
The entire album, the BA’AR , is spectacular. Whether you are rock in roll junkie or a country bumpkin their is something in here for you. I encourage you to listen and then listen again.
Buy the merch and then stream the hell out of it
Seth Jones
Seth Jones advice is some of the best. These guys are making a living on the road and they depend on us. The streaming services aren’t paying the bills. Support live music, support the community and the venues who host them. Buy the record! Mine arrives this afternoon.
It has been said that Willie penned his iconic song on a napkin while at a truck stop in the dust bowl of the town of Big Spring , Tx. This song about life on tour came to be when Sydney Pollack approached the Red Headed Stranger about the idea for the song… At that time, the song was written for Pollack’s upcoming film Honeysuckle Rose.
Honeysuckle rose was Willie’s first leading role in film- he took the over the big screens playing Buck Bonham. A plot that has since mimicked Willie Nelson’s career work.
On the Road Again became Willie Nelson’s 9th #1 hit. It has become one of those songs that instantly puts Willie in mind when it’s sung or mentioned.
The song has been covered by many and has since been featured in several other films and TV series to include Forest Gump, Monk and Dumb and Dumber.
Matt Moran and Will Payne Harrison released their own version of this iconic song today and I can’t wait for you guys to spin it..
Another great example of why Matt Moran and Will Payne Harrison are making moves …
Gotta love the cover art on this brand new single by Matt Moran. The last time I used one of those pay phones was to try to convince someone that I was gonna be ok IF they would only come get me.
Only I was never ok as long as I kept doing the same ol things I was always doing. Grateful I don’t live that way anymore…
Drunk and Stoned by Matt Moran and the Palominos features the raspy rambling voice of Zach Welch.
I have heard that the song was recorded in a living room of the Palamino drummer, the song was mastered by Will P Harrison.
If you like honky tonk music licks then this one is for you.
The homies are on fire , looking forward to what’s next.
Van Plating, A Singer Songwriter with social skills. She is a wife and mother, she is a lover of pets and the classics.
Van’s style of music took me out of my normalcy. There’s something in her voice that I just can’t stop listening to. Her poetic lyrics about chasing that ever changing American Dream resonates within all of us.
Did you discover new music this year? Van Plating was probably my biggest discovery. After I found Will Payne Harrison and Matthew Moran on the Twitter page, I began seeing bits and pieces of Plating’s life and finally decided that I would take that plunge into some of her music. I assure you it was worth it!
This gal from The Sunshine State is a multi instrumentalist with a powerful voice and honest songs that she has been writing for an entire lifetime. Her most recent work The Way Down released last November, but she assures us that she’s working on new tunes all the time.
I hope you feel cool enough to go All The Way down the Van Plating discography. You are going to find your way just like I did!
The Pancho Music Awards were a grand success and a whole bunch of love.
Some of you might have watched some TV last week when the CMA Country Music Award show aired.. I didn’t. Who won anyway? Is that shit really even country music. In my humble opinion most of it Not. This is what the PMA awards were mostly about. Real Music . The kinda Honky Tonkin good times that I love. The kinda music that me and the homies live in and live for.I wish I would’ve included more categories and had more creativity so that more of the homies would have been included. Next year I’m going to work harder and start earlier to ensure more participation. My boy Hayden McCaleb has already asked me to let him be the host of the show.. Already looking forward. But enough for the rant- I can’t change the past and I don’t need to worry about the future. For now let’s get down to that task at hand! If you follow Pancho on Twitter, then you already have seen the results. But here goes nothing!
Voting for the PMAs was some of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make
Payton Matous
“Voting for the PMAs was some of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” exclaimed Dallas, Texas based singer songwriter Payton Matous. Believe meeee Payton, picking the nominees were just as hard. I am grateful for the herd of following that I have acquired these last couple of years on the Twit, that aided me in selecting the winners.
Let’s start with Podcast. The nominees for Best Podcast featuring Singer/ Songwriters were my buddy Aaron Lee Bentley, the host of ‘Off Mic Off The Record,” and TxRiver Tonk radio host , my good friend Blake Farrar.
Blake’s old school radio show, featuring many of my favorite artists took the win with 74% of the votes. TxRiver Tonk is always a good listen. He seems to get the fresh songs the freshest. Blake spends many nights on the road and in and out of the honky tonk scene he always finds his way into a live performance of someone somewhere. He’s usually got the best seat in the house for some of the best music in the business.
Early on, Farrar was already trying to concede to Bentley. He called Bentley not only a friend but also his mentor. I can’t even tell you how many thousand miles I have driven in my truck whilst listening to Off Mic Off The Record. Through listens of this laid back talk show, I have learned more about the music business and personal stories from behind the scenes of music than I have anywhere else.
Both of these nominees deserve cheers and beers and I can’t wait to hang again- until then, I’ll keep listening.
In my next category, I wanted to highlight a “single” of the year. In all fairness, there was so much great music that dropped this year. Hell one of the nominees in this category, Seth Jones dropped new music today. I would have had a hard time choosing the contestants, much less comparing them with each other. The music I listen to and choose to highlight on this blog is so very different, but it’s all the same in a sense that it hits me in places like my heart and soul. At the end of the day, this category became the best song about debauchery in the year 2022.
There is no wrong answer here and we all three love each other.
Seth Jones
Nominee Seth Jones had this to say about this event, “There is no wrong answer here and we all three love each other.” Seth is probably right and I definitely agree. I love these three guys as if they were my own family and in fact I interact with this band of brothers more often than I do most of my family. The songs I chose in this category are as follows: Seth Jones Sinnin’, South Texas Tweek’s Feelin’ Good, and the Zach Welch penned tune, The Dark Side of the Honky Tonk.
Zach Welch took the prize in this category… barely. This was the closest event in the whole PMA awards. I love this guy and all he does. I once drove 10 hours round trip just to hear him play. Zach really does love the other two and so many more musicians. His wish is for everyone to succeed and if they don’t he will love them anyway.
I love Seth and Tweeks songs in this category so much as well , and they all mean so much to me. These songs hit me where it hurts and they remind me every day why I strive to be a better man. If you get a chance to see these guys you better not miss the opportunity. I am ready for some big burly man hugs from all three of these big dogs and I hope one day to catch them all on the same stage on the same night.
Both relatively new and unheard of artists were chosen in my next category. The PMA album of the year nominees were Will Payne Harrison with Tioga Titan, and Matt Moran with Heartache Kid. Both of these albums truly hit my sweet spot. I have watched both of these artists this last year and they are some of the hardest working ones in the biz. I personally own each of these guys T Shirts and it’s an honor when I wear them, I know I am representing a brand that I can stand behind.
The winner for PMA album of the year goes to Matt Moran With Heartache Kid.
If you were to ask Will he’d tell you he voted for Matt. He might even say it was a good thing that Matt won or else he’d spend all of next year whining because he lost. If you ask me, both of these albums are equally great and you should listen to them until the needle wears out the vinyl.., good thing they are available digitally and you can just stream the dog snot out of them without even scratching the record.
In the final category I chose 4 bands that I love and that I have fun when I get to see them perform live. I consider this music country, I guess where I am from that’s what I would call the genre, but the times they are a changing… ask most of them and they would consider themselves Rock. Honest to goodness- when I see any of these guys live it really is a fuccin ROCK SHOW.
The choices for the PMA entertainer of the year award were the Vandoliers, American Aquarium, Lucas Jagneaux and The Roadshow, and Mason and the Gin Line. Like I said before fuccin ROCK SHOW.
The winner of this top honor was the Vandoliers. These guys deserve the applause and they do have the support of the other nominees. I believe they would be just as good with seeing the other band win than themselves.. They could open for any of the others and Vice Versa. They would most likely take their shirts off and they all have about the same amount of tattoos so there is that.
I have so much fun seeing live music , thanks guys for getting out there and putting it all out there for me to enjoy. That goes to all of you.
A special thank you from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of you I mentioned for being such good sports in this affair. Life wouldn’t be the same for me without my music. The stuff you guys keep singing night after night after night.. I’m just glad you guys let me be a fan.
Growing up , I recall mom and dad always had the radio on the local “oldies” station. Those old JvC speakers in the car , sparking out stories from Jim Croce about Leroy Brown, or Spitting on Superman’s cape. The blues licks and Brass instruments that came out of Detroit coupled with perfect harmony compiled that Mo Town sound.
Will Payne Harrison’s new song, Tioga Titan , takes me back to some of these memories.
Harrison is a great songwriter and storyteller and a fun to follow guy on the social media scene. If you hadn’t heard him, it’s a must!
Of Cajun heritage, Harrison wanted his music to be blue grass. Sometime after leaving the swamp and moving to big city Nashville, he found his sound. His Americana and Roots beats are hard to beat.
Tioga Titan is just one of many songs that show the greatness of this one of a kind guy.
Suns Gonna Rise… Mamas Gonna Pray… these simple lyrics from Will Payne Harrison’s new single “Simple Truths,” met me with my coffee this morning. Luckily I didn’t spill too much on my shirt.
“Simple Truths,” is the latest single release by Harrison.
Will Payne Harrison originally from Louisiana now resides in Nashville. He blends the styles of the places he’s been in his music. He once said he wanted to be a bluegrass artist. Somewhere on the trail, he found a more simple style of Folk and Roots and Americana.
I guess I first fell for this man’s music after he released his album Living With Ghosts. His song “Jacqueline” is one of my favorite good times jams.
“Simple Truths” just might simply be my new favorite love song.
Y’all give this man a stream, a follow, a shoutout and I guarantee you will find something in his catalog that shouts back- if he doesn’t personally give you a hard time on social media- (this man’s humor is worth the time.)
