Rick Hornyak

It probably was bound to happen. After five years in Austin, Texas, Rick Hornyak, who was raised on rock, is embracing the virtues of country music ala Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and Hank Williams Jr.

“There really is an art in the words and being straight to the emotional point,” said Hornyak, formerly of Fredonia and Delaware and Perry townships.

The singer, songwriter and guitarist, who is coming back to the area for some hometown shows, said he is trying to incorporate that art into his songs, although not necessarily with the requisite twang.

Apart from his own interest in what he calls “old country” and “real country,” Hornyak knows he has to have something for the people who come to see him.

“People love to dance to that train beat,” he said, referring to the beat employed to popular effect by the likes of Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard.

About a year ago, Hornyak made his last hometown visit, as a member of the quartet the Dealers. This year, he’s a solo act. The split was amicable and came down to career goals. Hornyak said he wanted to play music full time — he has since left his part-time job at a coffee shop to do that — while the other members liked having the security blanket of day jobs.

He also looked at the careers of bands vs. solo acts and noticed Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and other solo performers he admires are still performing, while many of the bands that came out at the same time are not.

“They seem to have longevity, where the bands seem to have maybe 10 years,” he said, calling from the road on his way to a gig in Port Aransas, Texas.

He now plays with hired musicians, an occasionally changing group who add new personalities and musical strengths to his music.

“It’s been a fun experience,” he said. “I think it’s sharpened my skills a little bit, playing with different people. Even though they’re playing my songs, they add a little more flavor to them.”

Hearing different musical points of view also has exposed Hornyak to what he believes his strengths are.

“I have a simplistic style of songwriting,” he said. “I’m not like a jazz musician and I’m not a straight blues guy. I’m more like this Americana, middle-class American guy.”

Hornyak is touring more than he did with the Dealers — and working harder, as he’s also booking gigs, ordering merchandise and doing everything else his career demands. Burning the midnight oil to take care of the business side of things pays off when he meets his career goals.

“I can see I’m steadily making progress,” he said.

He’s expanded his performance base beyond Austin to Corpus Christi, Dallas and Houston, kept up with Dealers fans in Wisconsin and will be making his second trip to New York when the local shows are done.

He also wants to play in this area twice a year instead of once.

“I think a lot of advertising and marketing is frequency,” he said.

Since he’s responsible for filling three sets a night, Hornyak has started playing some of the covers he used to be known for when he lived in Mercer County, along with new songs.

Hornyak is selling a compact disc collection of recordings, including solo songs and live Dealers numbers, and hopes to go back into the studio to rerecord some of his songs and capture new ones. He’s keeping mental notes of who plays them the best in his live shows so he can hire those musicians to repeat their licks in the studio.
- Joe Pinchot - Herald Staff Writer

Destinations & Angry Love Songs includes songs infusing folk & Texas Country with traditional American rock and creating a sound our parents listened to, we listen to, and we know that our kids will listen to. - Kevin Hart - Bravo! The Meadville Tribune

It's called Austin Rock. If you want to hear what it sounds like, just listen to Rick Hornyak, a Texas songwriter that kicks ass then kisses and makes up. Hornyak knows how to hold a crowd and move them at the same time. When playing live, Hornyak is a spontaneous force, like a freight train one moment and a hobo's lullaby the next. With a great sound and live show Hornyak's band is fast on the rise. - Billy Block's Western Beat - Nashville, TN

Hornyak threads bittersweet lyrics through strong, warm melodies. The result: a true marriage between classic rock and Texas country that resonates with all audiences. - The Derrick

I recently obtained a copy of Rick Hornyak's EP. As a music lover I could not be more satisfied with this EP. These heartfelt toe tapping songs with impressive instrumentation and simplistic remember able lyrics left me speechless. From the ramblin' man's tale in "Ladies". The great love songs such as "Someday" and "Miss California". This EP is a full play. As a Podcaster it is hard to classify and fits well in any play list. Rick's songs on the EP are aggressive enough to be Rock and twangy enough to easily fit into the Country genre. What does that make it then? Two words "JUST GREAT" ~ CBROCKER, The CBROCKER SHOW
- CBROCKER, The CBROCKER SHOW