American Aquarium: Live at Red Rocks — Morrison, Colorado

Well, I finally got my wish.

American Aquarium just dropped the full album Live at Red Rocks, recorded at that holy amphitheater carved into the red sandstone walls of Morrison, Colorado — a place where sound doesn’t just echo…it blooms.

But to really understand why this release matters, you gotta know a little something about the land it was born on.

A Little Red Rocks History — Where Stone Became a Stage

Long before guitars screamed and crowds roared, Red Rocks was just ancient earth — 300-million-year-old sandstone tilted toward the heavens. Those two giant monoliths guarding the theater — Ship Rock and Creation Rock — were sculpted by time long before a single boot ever scuffed their shadow.

Back in the early 1900s, a dreamer named John Brisben Walker stood between those towering slabs and declared it the perfect concert hall. He hosted small performances right there in the dirt, letting the wind carry the music across the canyon.

Then the Civilian Conservation Corps came along in the 1930s and chiseled the place into the masterpiece we know — every bench carved into the hillside, every angle matched to the sky, like a cathedral built from rock and sweat. Red Rocks officially opened in 1941, and the legends showed up soon after.

U2 turned the place into myth in ’83 with Under a Blood Red Sky.

The Grateful Dead nearly made it a second home.

Everyone from Johnny Cash to Jimi Hendrix to Willie Nelson to Brandi Carlile carved their names into that Colorado air.

Red Rocks isn’t just a venue.

It’s a rite of passage — a proving ground where music meets geology and the result becomes history.

And Now… American Aquarium

That’s the weight BJ Barham carried when he walked onto that stage — altitude in his lungs, fire in his voice, and a crowd that sounded like thunder rolling off the canyon walls. He didn’t just sing; he staked his claim on sacred ground.

You can hear it in the recording — the wind, the electricity, the roar.

This isn’t a greatest-hits compilation.

It’s a moment, preserved forever.

American Aquarium now sits among the names who stood where stone becomes sound.

They earned it — every mile, every scar, every midnight show in a smoky bar that led them to this one impossible, unforgettable night.

And now that wish we talked about?

It ain’t a rumor anymore.

It’s live.

It’s loud.

It’s immortal.

American Aquarium — Live at Red Rocks.

A band in full command, echoing off the oldest walls they’ve ever played.

Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle — The Last Ride with the Family

There’s a lot of talk about legacy these days. Folks try to write their own eulogies before the dirt’s even turned.

But Willie Nelson don’t have to. He’s been writing his in melody and hard livin’ for nearly ninety years — and Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle feels like another chapter in that living testament.

This record ain’t about reverence; it’s about connection. Willie’s always had a way of turning tribute into communion.

Merle Haggard wasn’t just another outlaw in the lineup — he was a kindred spirit. The two of them traded verses, shared smoke, and carved out what became the gospel of the working man: pride, sin, and redemption sung with a cracked smile.

But listen close — there’s something deeper woven through this new album.

Beyond the love for Merle, you can hear the spirits of Paul English and Bobbie Nelson — his ride-or-die drummer and his sister on the keys.

Both gone, but not forgotten. Their names sit in the credits like headstones carved in rhythm and grace.

They called Paul “the Devil in a Sleeping Bag,” but Willie said it with a grin — the kind you give the only man who ever kept you on beat through hell and high water.

And Bobbie — her piano always felt like the heartbeat of the Family. She didn’t just play notes; she played memory. On this album, her touch is softer, almost angelic — like she knew the circle would never be unbroken.

So yeah, Workin’ Man might wear Merle’s hat, but the soul under it still belongs to the Family Band.

It’s Willie tipping his hat to Haggard, while whispering thanks to the Devil who kept time and the sister who gave the music its mercy.

This isn’t an album of goodbye songs — it’s a campfire still burning, even if a few of the chairs are empty.

Outlaw Shit- Shooter Jennings and Benjamin Tod

Waylon once laid it down plain: “Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand.” Later he slowed it into “Outlaw Shit,” the sound of a man realizin’ the ride was catchin’ up.

Now Shooter Jennings and Benjamin Tod got hold of it, and Lord, they didn’t just dust it off — they lit it on fire. Shooter’s outlaw blood rode it out like dusty boots draggin’ across a sawdust floor. Every note he lets loose feels like an ode to the bloodline he carries — same blood that once ribbed Willie Nelson for singin’ through his nose, but did it with love only outlaws can share.

Then Benjamin Tod steps in — and he’s spillin’ his guts on the table. That voice of his cuts jagged, like a rusted blade that still finds a way to cut your throat. Together, the two of ‘em don’t sound like a tribute act — they sound like the next chapter in the same rough western novel.

It ain’t pretty, it ain’t polished, but that’s the whole damn point. This cover don’t just honor Waylon — it brings him back to life, sittin’ right there by the fire with a crooked grin, noddin’ in approval.

Pancho.

On the Road Again

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 …

Pancho.

Made in Texas

Willie Nelson is proud to say he was made in Texas…..

In anticipation of his newest album The Border to release on May 31 Willie has released his single Made in Texas.

Willie Hugh Nelson was born this day April 29 1933. At 91 years old he is still alive and kicking. When most artists would have hung up their hats, Willie is still making new music and entertaining his fans with his vast catalog of memorable songs.

I have seen Willie perform live more times than any other artist and I think that I was a fan the day I was born.

I once saw Willie play an entire concert from the window of a jail cell above the now torn down Midland County Courthouse- I couldn’t hear him, but I saw him and yet somehow I still knew every word to every song he played.

Willie will be making music until the day he dies and I will listen to his music ‘til the day I do…

Is it morbid that I have already created a playlist for my funeral? And Willie Nelson is on it with That Lucky old Sun.

Pancho.

A 10 Dollar Cowboy Looks A lot like me

Charley Crockett recently released his latest single ‘$10 Cowboy’ the title track of his upcoming album.

The album is set to release in April.

The song co written by Billy Horton compliments Charley’s ever growing catalog of songs about the people he’s met and the places he’s been. Charley told Rolling Stone that the album was written in Truck Stops and in Casinos and in the back alleys behind the venues that he plays.

Charley Crockett continues to find his way in and around the honky tonk scene and has an amazing line up of talent that he carries with him..

Earlier this month I heard a song that he performed with the original outlaw Willie Nelson.

He is touring all over the Nation and abroad and continues to deliver his own music in his own way to a variety of audiences.

Not too bad for a guy from San Benito, Tx.

Pancho.

Tough Country

“Wonder why we settled here,” sings William Clark Green, “ with the rattlesnakes and the prickly pear and a water table two hundred feet down…”

The Panhandlers were ecstatic to be back in West Texas last night as they graced the stage at the Wagner Noel in Midland.

This band’s music centers around the land they all adopted as home.. a sentiment that rings in as West Texas the Best Texas.

Cleto Cordero Flatland Cavalry/ Panhandlers

Band member Cleto Cordero grew up in Midland and the hometown advantage was felt by all.. as his mother sat in the front row he sang the songs he’d written along the way from places like Lubbock and Marfa and Eastland. Songs about the oil and the cattle and the cotton,

I love the people here most of all and there is a culture that is a mixture of a cowboy and a farmer and a roughneck and everyone in between..

This was the second time I’ve seen this act live although I’ve seen each individually.

The singers of the band consist of Cleto, who heads up his band Flatland Cavalry, William Clark Green, Texas Country turned Rock Show, Josh Abbott of the JAB who holds the whole project together, and songwriter and performer John Baumann. Each brings talented musicians from their own groups together on one stage as they sing songs together in a style that is not usually heard in their own shows.. Each of them are accomplished songwriters and together they are unstoppable.

The ties they share stem from their college days as alumni of Texas Tech university and their love of songwriting.. specifically songs about Texas..

The band plays mainly original songs they’ve written although they can and will throw in covers by other notable Texas Musicians, including Guy Clark , and Terry Allen. They also recorded a song called “West Texas in My Eyes,” written by a personal friend of theirs and mine, Charlie Stout. And last night they covered the Highwaymen… Willie Nelson , Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings.

I ain’t crying…

Pancho.

Panchos Dust

There has always been some debate about who did it better. Pancho and Lefty. Do you like the Townes Van Zandt version or Willie and Merle’s?

I am probably the biggest fan of the original cut the one written and performed by Townes Van Zandt himself. I have always preferred originals I believe that’s the way it was supposed to be and tbe way the songwriter intended it to be. Just yesterday I heard someone say that they thought Willie Nelson wrote the song.. ummmm NO!

Willie and the Hag did a bang up job on the song. I will give them credit for making it famous. I also adore the fact that they let Townes be in the music video for it. Those were special times back then. The Music Video in its newest form. Does anyone even watch them today?

Many have covered the song and if I had to listen to a cover of Pancho and Lefty I used to would say it would be the Willie Nelson/ Merle Haggard version, however in recent years I have changed my mind. Shane Smith and the Saints was my favorite cover of it. Recorded in rough form from the hills of Terlingua Texas in the middle of a Pandemic. Yeah that was up until yesterday.

The Golden Roses released their version of the song yesterday. According to John Mutchler of the Roses the song has already received over 100 streams. John appeared on the Podcast Texas River Tonk yesterday. He announced that this was the first release of a 4 song EP. The new EP will feature 4 covers that the Golden Roses most identify with their style of old school Dance Hall music.

I first found the Roses with their Debut album Terlingua Graveyard and I have nothing but love and respect for this band. They have also announced a new full album of their own songs in the near future.

Y’all give ‘em a spin and support the music. Many dates in and around Austin can be seen on their website. https://www.thegoldenrosesatx.com/ they will be in the Famed Luckenbach Dance Hall with Vincent Neil Emerson on May 12.

Livin on the road is gonna keep me free and clean.

Pancho.

A Beautiful Time

I ordered the latest Willie Nelson album the day it went into presale. The day finally arrived where I received my vinyl copy and was able to bask in the sounds that only the Red Headed Stranger can make with his guitar, Trigger.

Logic would tell me that this would be Willie’s last album, but I have been a fan of his for as long as I have been alive and I know the man now pushing 90 has no limitations on time or sound.

Overall the entire album is a great listen. Shawn Camp penned the albums title track, “A Beautiful Time.” In my own life today things have really been a positive change from the way life used to be. “When the last song is played, I can look back and say I sure had a beautiful time.”

Other songs on the album were written by Nelson himself, and long time collaborator with Willie Buddy Cannon. The track listing also contains a Beatles cover , “With a Little Help From My Friends.” A co-write with Chris Stapleton and Rodney Crowell and a cover of Leonard Cohens, “ Tower of Song.

A Beautiful Time is 14 new studio recordings that still sound like Ol’ Willie.

Pancho.

Sad Birds

In the beginning of 2021, just after the world began to awaken after a yearlong slumber, I first heard Graycie York. She had released her single “Texas Rain.” To be quite honest, I only listened to the song that very first time, because I thought it was some sort of Townes Van Zandt tribute. In 2001, a collection of recordings was released on an album of various artists including Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Freddy Fender. The track listing of the album were songs that had been written by Townes. That album was titled, “Texas Rain.”

Graycie York’s Texas Rain wasn’t about Townes at all, it hit different. At the same time those seemingly sad lyrics and sad guitar notes were very similar to that deep cutting dark sounding music that only Townes Van Zandt could make.

Texas Rain now has over 2 million streams on Spotify alone and has placed Graycie York high up the ladder in the Texas Music charts.

York’s latest release her EP Sad Birds gives me indication that she will do it all again this year. She named the EP and her title track song after one of her favorite quotes, “Sad Birds Still Sing.”

Sad birds still Sing

This compilation of sad allows me to reflect upon my past and present. A sad ballad also reminds me that I am the master of my own destiny and that I don’t have to stay stuck in that dark hole. I have been able to find the tools and ask for the assistance necessary to climb out of those holes and begin to see the light of day.

The Graycie Lyn York penned, “Just Another Night.” Is a perfect example of how I used to live my life, and how love changed everything.

Sad birds may still sing, but they also have the ability to fly,

Pancho.