Texas Country Kickoff

If you've ever found yourself kickin’ up your heels to some good ol’ Texas Country or “Red Dirt” music performed live in any one of the numerous honky-tonks located in almost every town in the state of Texas and Oklahoma, then you would have really loved the Texas Country Kickoff sponsored by KOKE-FM radio when it boot-scooted into the Cedar Park Center just northwest of Austin in Cedar Park, Texas on February 13, 2014. This great concert showcased one of the genre’s most popular bands who perform selections from their traditional dance hall set, as well as the best from four other phenomenal acts with Texas ties.

Hudson Moore

Leading off the night was one of Texas Country’s rising stars, Hudson Moore. This Fort Worth native’s career began in 2010. Hudson moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas and work on his music career. His debut radio single “Fireworks,” reached the #1 spot on the Texas Music chart in Dec 2012. Hudson has played at Austin’s SXSW Music Fest as well as the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Hudson’s latest EP “Goin’ Out Tonight” was released in Oct 2014. During this coming March, Hudson will be on tour of the East Coast of the U.S. with Pat Green.  Hudson’s band members include Ed Eason on guitar, David Fralin on keys and guitar, Keith Hanna on bass, and Scott Zucknick on drums.

Bri Bagwell

Next up on the night was New Mexico native, Bri Bagwell. Bri is an independent artist without a record deal, but that hasn’t stopped her from gaining a devoted fan base. Bri moved to Austin at age 18 to attend the University of Texas and begin her music career. She released her first CD, “Banned From Santa Fe” in June 2011 and followed up with a self-titled EP in 2013 featuring radio releases “Hound Dog” and “Crazy.”  Bri’s band members are guitarist Nathan Sebesta, bassist Seth Foster, and drummer Jake Williams.

Kyle Park

Hometown boy, Kyle Park, was the next artist up. Kyle was born in Austin and grew up right down the road from Cedar Park in Leander, Texas. Kyle started playing guitar at 14 and had his first music played on a local radio station at 17. He released his debut album, “Big Time” in 2005. Since that first album, Kyle has released two Eps and three additional albums, the latest of which came out in 2013. Kyle hit the stage with his band, Kris Farrow on guitar, Chris Gonzalez on bass, Travis Moore on keys, and Will Armstrong on drums.

Stoney LaRue

Born in Texas, but raised in Oklahoma, Stoney LaRue has been a part of the Red Dirt music scene for a number of years. He has worked with several of the genres popular acts including Cody Canada and has released 6 albums including his latest, “Aviator”, released in Oct. 2014. Stoney also sang back up on Miranda Lambert’s 2013 single “All Kinds of Kinds.”

Josh Abbott Band

Headlining the evening was the Josh Abbott Band. Josh founded the band in 2006 while attending Texas Tech University. They released their first CD, “Scapegoat,” in 2008. Their second album, “She’s Like Texas,” released in 2010, continues to be a big hit in the Lone Star State. Their third album, Small Town Family Dream was released in 2012. In 2014 the band released a 5 song EP titled “Tuesday Night.” The band is made up of Josh Abbott on vocals and acoustic guitar, Preston Wait on fiddle and electric guitar, Edward Villanueva on drums, James Hertless on bass, Caleb Keeter on electric guitar, and Austin Davis on banjo.