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Austin is home to yet another good Americana band in Texas Renegade. The guys in the band met through mutual friends or went to school together, formed the band in 2002 and started playing around Wimberley Texas, south of Austin. Their debut CD 3 A.M. was recorded in 2004 and now their new CD After Everything is available. The band is made up of songwriter Andy Bertelsen, lead guitar and vocals; Matt Pigg, drums; Eli Carver, bass; Tyson Carver, acoustic guitar and mandolin; and Kasey Klepfer on harmonica (2005 MTM Texas Music Awards Musician of the Year). Any band that boasts a full time harmonica player already has my attention. Several guests add additional guitar, organ and fiddle as well.
Bertelsen’s songs are generally upbeat Americana tunes, well written musically and lyrically. Harmonica, mandolin and organ flavor many of the tunes. Standout tunes include “More Than I Deserve,” an upbeat ode in which Bertelsen sings:
“I’m strikin’ this cord, cause she strikes my nerve. She’s so much more than I deserve.”
“Born to Love You” particularly shows Bertelsen’s talent with the lyric. I defy you to not tap your foot while listening to this great tune. A catchy mandolin line hooks you from the start, and he sings:
My lips were never meant for this bottle of wine; and I know yours, they were meant for mine.....
My blood was never meant for alcohol. I guess I was always meant to fall.
I’m not the type that ever misses much, but girl I swear
I can’t live without your touch.
The band actually goes a bit country/spiritual on the tune “Bar Ditch,” which starts a cappella:
I met Jesus in a bar ditch, behind the wheel of my 87 Ford
I met the devil at the bottom of a bottle, and he scared me straight to the Lord.
Then the instruments kick in and we’re treated to another great tune. All in all this is a fine album from Texas Renegade with many highlights. In their credits they thank their families and employers “for allowing us the freedom to chase this dream.” I hope they keep chasing!
Author: Don Zelazny
Don Zelazny is a music lover who plays dentist by day. He ‘listens’ with his two young children, and wife Michelle in Michigan.
- www.americanaroots.com
Discography
3am - 2004
After Everything - 2007
Photos
Bio
Texas Renegade
To call Texas Renegade a breath of fresh air to today’s Texas County scene is a gross understatement. Their unique sound and onstage camaraderie make this group a force to be reckoned with. Unlike most bands of their genre, Renegade showcases the harmonica and mandolin as their lead instruments, additions which add undeniable freshness to a familiar Texas sound.
While the members of Texas Renegade are young, they are no rookies in the business. The group originally formed in April of 2002 in the hill country town of Wimberley, Texas. Lead singer Andy Bertelsen’s distinct voice fronts the group. Kasey Klepfer wails on the harmonica, as Tyson Carver plucks and strums the mandolin while providing backing vocals. Tyson’s twin brother Eli plays bass, and Luke Ayers keeps the beat on drums. When these five talents combine, they form a sound that has been dubbed “the real deal” by legendary singer/songwriter Kent Finlay. Texas Renegade has been privileged to share the stage with such great acts as Billy Joe Shaver, Asleep at the Wheel, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and Cory Morrow, to name a few.
The band’s first self-release album, 3 a.m., received critical acclaim and garnered quite a fan base. In 2005, Kasey Klepfer received the My Texas Music “Musician of the Year” award, but Texas Renegade will be quick to tell you they’re hardly a one-man band. Showcasing no one as their leader, they fashion themselves as more of a family than anything. The group displays an incredible onstage camaraderie that earned them the 2006 My Texas Music “Live Band of the Year” award.
Texas Renegade’s highly anticipated second album, After Everything, was released in the spring of 2007. The album was produced by Stephen Belans, and with an overall higher production quality, the group feels this album is their greatest accomplishment as musicians. With tracks such as “Angel of the Moonlight,” and “Bar Ditch,” there is no doubt that After Everything will take Texas Renegade to the next level in the Texas Music industry.
2007 has proven to be a great year for Texas Renegade. The group signed with Smith Music Group in the spring of 2007, and most recently, with Austin Universal Entertainment, Inc., one of the largest booking agencies in the southwest. With a superb team behind them, there it is without question that Texas Renegade will soon be a household name in the Texas Music scene.
What People are Saying about Texas Renegade
“Texas Renegade has earned my respect as songwriters and players…a righteously cool band.”
- Ray Wylie Hubbard
“One of the most exciting up and coming bands around is called Texas Renegade. If you haven’t heard of them yet, you need to. Those boys will make you sit up and take notice, ‘cause they are the real deal.”
- Kent Finlay, Owner of Cheatham Street Warehouse and Songwriter
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