Somehow, the stars aligned in the musical heavens above Texas in August and September for a flurry of albums from leading artists on the Texas Music scene.
This latest batch comes from the Eli Young Band, the Randy Rogers Band and Wade Bowen, and each raises the bar from their previous work.
Like other generations of artists, these guys are friends who help each other, from co-writing songs to plugging albums other than their own on their Web sites.
“I don't know if it's different than the Nashville scene or Seattle or whatever,” Bowen said. “It's honest music and honest friendships. On my Web site, I'm helping to promote Brandon Rhyder, Roger Creager, Randy Rogers Band, Eli Young Band — everybody who has a new record out right now.
“It's important to help each other out. The more we join together, the more fun it is for us and our fans, and it will benefit us all to stay in this thing and see it through instead of seeing this scene die off and wait another 20 years for it to happen again.”
The cross-promotion is unique to the Texas scene, Rogers said.
“I'm real proud of Wade Bowen and really pumped about his and Eli Young Band's records coming out the same time as mine,” Rogers said. “It's important to respect the music. We're all out to change the world, to change the way country music is today.
“By supporting each other, that will be a lot easier.”
Rogers' single “In My Arms Instead” moved up to No. 5 and Bowen's “You Had Me at My Best” is at No. 7 on the Texas Music Chart.
Major-label debut
Eli Young Band, “Jet Black & Jealous” (Universal Records South, released Sept. 16): Seven years of electrifying shows, hard touring and winning fans live and on the Internet led the Eli Young Band to head-turning figures in 2007 — $1.7 million gross and 100,000 tickets sold.
Add the fact that their signature tune, the melodic, melancholy optimism of “Let It Rain,” became a viral national radio hit with no promotion — almost unheard of for an independent band.
Record labels came calling, and the Eli Young Band signed with Universal Records South, which let them do what they wanted for the major label debut of their fourth album, “Jet Black & Jealous.”
With a push from the label, “When It Rains” topped out at No. 34 on Billboard's country chart, and they're ready to roll with the album's first single, “Always the Love Songs.”
“This new single will hit all across the country at once, not all spread out like ‘When It Rains.' We're eager to see what will happen,” said frontman Mike Eli, who with lead guitarist James Young founded the band while at the University of North Texas in Denton.
In Colorado, the coast-to-coast airplay of “When It Rains” hinted at things to come.
“We played a show in Denver not long ago, and 5,000 people came out just to see us,” Eli said. “We didn't realize what kind of impact ‘When It Rains' was having.”
Compared to 2005's “Level,” an album reflecting their transition from college to music career, Eli said the new album is more about playing 200 shows a year and trying to have a normal life.
The rest of the band is drummer Chris Thompson and bassist Jon Jones.
Casting a wider net
The Randy Rogers Band had a big year in 2007, too — Rolling Stone named the quintet among its top 10 must-see artists last summer, along with the likes of the Rolling Stones and U2, and their tour grossed $2.5 million.
Plus, “Just a Matter of Time,” their 2006 major-label debut, beat Rascal Flatts for the honor of most-downloaded country album on iTunes.
Unlike that album, which was recorded over about five months, “Randy Rogers Band” (Mercury Records Nashville, in stores this week) is more hard charging and more focused, with the group holed up with producer Radney Foster for a week at Dockside Studio on a remote bayou near Lafayette, La.
“There was no cell phone service, and we didn't see another human being besides us for an entire week,” frontman and primary writer Rogers said. “So this time, we felt freer and more creative.”
While “Just a Matter of Time” was more about falling in and out of love, Rogers' fourth studio album casts a wider lyrical net to capture human emotion, from redemption in “Wicked Ways” and blessings in “Better Than I Ought To Be” to the exuberance of youth in “Never be That High.”
“I just tried to be conscious of writing songs about broad topics and not the beginnings or ends of relationships,” Rogers said. “I wanted things people could relate to across the board.
“Plus, this is a deeper musical record for us. Stylistically, we tried some things we haven't done before.”
Like the Eli Young Band, the Randy Rogers Band is a collaborative effort among bassist Jon Richardson, guitarist Geoffrey Hill, fiddler Brady Black and drummer Les Lawless.
Home runs with heartbreak
Playing more than 200 shows a year with a fan base through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, Bowen hopes his third studio album, “If We Ever Make It Home” (Sustain Records, out next week) helps him expand outside the region.
Establishing his credentials as a serious songwriter with 2006's “Lost Hotel,” his first album with the Kerrville-based independent label Sustain, he found success on Texas radio with a couple of tunes, including “God Bless This Town” — a sarcastic swipe at small minds.
The new single, “You Had Me at My Best,” features a catchy guitar hook and an upbeat melody about a guy mired in misery who keeps reminders of his lost love around the house.
“I'm looking for the single to catch you from the beginning, make you turn your head a little and wonder who is that — and I think that song does that,” Bowen said.
“I feel like I'm better at writing about heartbreak than anything. I guess that's good because, with country music, that's what you're supposed to be good at.”
With “If We Ever Make It Home,” Bowen ups his songwriting amperage and teams with the likes of Randy Rogers, Nashville heavyweight Radney Foster and Jim Beavers (Gary Allan's “Watching Airplanes”), plus a few outside songs.
“With the last record, I was single and running around free,” Bowen said. “This one is all about getting married, being a dad and going through all the troubles and the happy times — just looking at the world in a completely different way.
“So the title track is a song I wrote because the world is a little scary to me right now. I wrote that song trying to believe in a better place for my children and all of us to live.”
The Eli Young Band will perform on Friday. at the Austin City Limits Festival in Zilker Park. The Randy Rogers Band will perform on Friday at John T. Floore Country Store. Wade Bowen will perform Oct. 31 at Cowboys Dance Hall.