Walker & The Texas Dangers

Head first into good old pickin’, Walker and the Texas Dangers sling a lively concoction—gritty stories told with slapped up treatment. Bound like downhill freight, the songs indicate no desire for slowing. “Grass is always greener on the other side,” colored by a nasal cry, Brett Walker leads the band with broad fervency. The music these boys make canters and spills out across the packed house. Bluegrass with a demon’s edge, they sit a couple of notches away from speedgrass’ infamy. With just enough push on the needle, they get the beast rumbling. There’s a call from out front, huffing and puffing; through the set, the crowd rides the shakes and shudders as the songs carry them along the wilds of open country. Adding a little croon to the mix, they curl through a smoking rendition of “Sharp Dressed Man.”

Started by Brett Walker and Dan Hardick, former members of Fort Worth’s The Dan Family, The Texas Dangers have engineered something special. In early 2011, Walker and his guitarist set out for Nashville where they connected with Andy Gibson known for orchestrating Hank III's "Straight to Hell." Gibson delivered, recording and mixing the band’s debut album "Pay the Fiddler." They followed up with a self-titled EP in the spring of 2013, including two songs by banjoist Stephen Simpson. The Texas Dangers have shared the bill with artists ranging in sound from country to punk acts, including Dale Watson, Reverend Horton Heat, the Supersuckers and the Hot Club of Cowtown. Recently, they have added Daniel Crim on mandolin after returning from the Midwest for the second time. Soon these gentlemen make their third West Coast trip. Upon return they head into the studio to record an album that will release next year.