Walker and the Texas Dangers

KHYI 95.3 the Range's Brett Dillon attended two Texas Danger shows in '12 - www.facebook.com/Walker and the Texas Dangers

KHYI 95.3 the Range's Brett Dillon attended two Texas Danger shows in '12 - www.facebook.com/Walker and the Texas Dangers

Word has it that Ft. Worth, Tx has it going on these days. If these guys are a fair indication, then things out that way are much better than I thought! Like all other albums, this one displays a combination of other styles, but the obvious mainstay is bluegrass. Pay the Fiddler is one of the best releases to come across my player in quite some time. As a matter of fact, I can’t remember enjoying an album more than this since Jayke Orvis’ most recent. True, some parts remind me of other artists, but make no mistake, this music is 100% original and 100% awesome. I can’t even decide on a favorite. A few of the tunes are upbeat and comical, while most are a little more sincere. Everything you need from some good roots tunes are here. You’ve got some six-string, bass, fiddle, dobro, and of course, banjo. On “The ballad of Billy…” you even get the audio pleasure of hearing the steel guitar. Brett Walker is a lyrical genious and talented on the bass, to boot. For this one he gathered some of the most talented and experienced musicians from throughout the scene. You’ve seen some of them onstage with some people you wouldn’t believe, but I’ll spoil no surprise here; you’ll just have to listen to the interview for that! If you’re reading this take it from me; You have GOT to check this band out. Don’t wait until it’s out of print!
- Kieth Sly of Radiobilly FM

Word has it that Ft. Worth, Tx has it going on these days. If these guys are a fair indication, then things out that way are much better than I thought! Like all other albums, this one displays a combination of other styles, but the obvious mainstay is bluegrass. Pay the Fiddler is one of the best releases to come across my player in quite some time. As a matter of fact, I can’t remember enjoying an album more than this since Jayke Orvis’ most recent. True, some parts remind me of other artists, but make no mistake, this music is 100% original and 100% awesome. I can’t even decide on a favorite. A few of the tunes are upbeat and comical, while most are a little more sincere. Everything you need from some good roots tunes are here. You’ve got some six-string, bass, fiddle, dobro, and of course, banjo. On “The ballad of Billy…” you even get the audio pleasure of hearing the steel guitar. Brett Walker is a lyrical genious and talented on the bass, to boot. For this one he gathered some of the most talented and experienced musicians from throughout the scene. You’ve seen some of them onstage with some people you wouldn’t believe, but I’ll spoil no surprise here; you’ll just have to listen to the interview for that! If you’re reading this take it from me; You have GOT to check this band out. Don’t wait until it’s out of print!
- Kieth Sly of Radiobilly FM

At first glance at the website, Walker and the Texas Dangers reminded me of Webb Wilder‘s schtick from back in the eighties. But the tone of Pay The Fiddler is probably closer to the Knitter’s Poor Little Critter In The Road.

This album is for serious country fans. If you’re not already one, get ready to dip your toe in the water. From bluegrass to the blues, this album has a bit of it all.

Starting off with a song titled Cow Ate The Cabbage, you know you’re dealing with folks with a singular vision. I could see kids singing along to this even if they didn’t quite understand the song’s meaning.

Shotgun Wedding is a modern day rebuttal to this age old solution. Going further than simply saying “it’s not mine,” this anti-Romeo asks for a dna test. All to a bluegrass beat. I went back and forth between shock and laughing out loud. Then, I remembered a few folks I knew who were capable of setting such a trap for their beloved and I began to really appreciate his anger.

Rooster’s Rant is a fast little number. Waco Street Blues was really fun. If you’ve ever lived anywhere with street corner gossip (and who hasn’t) then you’ll appreciate this one.

I kept thinking this disc would be great post break up. No matter what you’re angry about, there’s probably a song on here that would fit the bill.

Goes Good With: Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe, The Knitters, Bob Wayne

Random Fact: They want folks to realize they “ain’t doin’ nothin’ (fans) couldn’t be doin’ if they wanted to!”

Rating: 8/10


- -L.H. O'Connor of Roothog Radio

At first glance at the website, Walker and the Texas Dangers reminded me of Webb Wilder‘s schtick from back in the eighties. But the tone of Pay The Fiddler is probably closer to the Knitter’s Poor Little Critter In The Road.

This album is for serious country fans. If you’re not already one, get ready to dip your toe in the water. From bluegrass to the blues, this album has a bit of it all.

Starting off with a song titled Cow Ate The Cabbage, you know you’re dealing with folks with a singular vision. I could see kids singing along to this even if they didn’t quite understand the song’s meaning.

Shotgun Wedding is a modern day rebuttal to this age old solution. Going further than simply saying “it’s not mine,” this anti-Romeo asks for a dna test. All to a bluegrass beat. I went back and forth between shock and laughing out loud. Then, I remembered a few folks I knew who were capable of setting such a trap for their beloved and I began to really appreciate his anger.

Rooster’s Rant is a fast little number. Waco Street Blues was really fun. If you’ve ever lived anywhere with street corner gossip (and who hasn’t) then you’ll appreciate this one.

I kept thinking this disc would be great post break up. No matter what you’re angry about, there’s probably a song on here that would fit the bill.

Goes Good With: Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe, The Knitters, Bob Wayne

Random Fact: They want folks to realize they “ain’t doin’ nothin’ (fans) couldn’t be doin’ if they wanted to!”

Rating: 8/10


- -L.H. O'Connor of Roothog Radio

Head first into good old pickin’, they sling a lively delivery—gritty stories with a slapped up treatment. The tunes bound like downhill freight indicating no desire to stop. “Grass is always greener on the other side,” colored with an almost nasal cry, Brett Walker leads the band with broad intensity. The music these boys make canters and spills out across the packed house. They play bluegrass with a demon’s edge, not quite the same as speedgrass’ infamy. With just enough push on the needle and gauges, they get the beast to rumble. There’s a big call, huffing and puffing; through the set, the vehicle shakes and shudders along the wilds of open country.

As the set unwound, folks started dancing in an uninhibited display as Walker swings the hell out of his Bass. By the time he kicked his hat off I was breaking a sweat. Adding a little croon to the mix, they curl through a smoking rendition of “Sharp Dressed Man.” Leaning on the edge of the bar enjoying it as much as anyone else was the man who oversees this Northside haven, Todd Osbourne.
- LYLE BROOKS of Fort Live - Lyle Brooks: Fort Live

I love the way this album opens: Fiddle, banjo, upright bass, and a song about a cow eating a cabbage (which I actually suspect is a metaphor for something naughty).
Brett Walker and the Texas Dangers (Stevie Ray Simpson on guitar and Jimmy “Head” Case on banjo) have been rocking their mix of bluegrass and psychobilly for just two years, but they sound like they’ve long been masters of the craft.
The album ranges from songs about turbulent relationships to songs about farming and cats. “Halflives” is about a man who doesn’t want lip service from his woman, he wants truth or he’s hitting the road. “Rooster’s Rant” flips it around. Walker’s woman has left him instead before daybreak and all he can do is crow after her. “The Grass Is Always Greener” is a lament about hard times on the farm that look like they will never end. “Shotgun Weddin’” is a protest song to a woman claiming Walker’s fathered her child and he’s willing to face a 12 gauge to get a paternity test. “Dirt and Words” is a tale of a man who “by dirt and words he lived, by dirt and words he’s dead.” It doesn’t get much more definite than that. It also has a neat structure – drifting and a little creepy one moment, shredding banjo and mandolin the next. “Face the Music” tells how Walker can’t hold onto the past and he hopes his music will help through dark times.

There’s fun on the album, too. “The Ballad of Bill the Cat” is a fun, goofy tribute to Walker’s grandmother’s cat. Anyone who’s been around barn cats has known a cat like this. “Love My Baby” is another one that will make you tap your toes and grin. It’s a song about rough sex. “I love my baby, but we don’t ever make love,” Walker sings, but later reveals that “making love” is a code phrase for a “violent act.” Ahem.

This is a damn good debut record. I’d watch these guys if I were you. I think they’ll be even bigger in 2013.



~ Nik Havert

Nik Havert is a writer, DJ, harmonica player, martial arts instructor, comic book publisher, crime fighter,music lover, cult movie enthusiast, and modern day Renaissance man. He hopes to shark cage dive sometime in the next few years and enjoys travel and good natural root beer.

Outlaw Magazine. Country, Rock and Roll, Blues, Folk, Americana, Punk. As long - Nik Havert: outlawmagazine.tv

I love the way this album opens: Fiddle, banjo, upright bass, and a song about a cow eating a cabbage (which I actually suspect is a metaphor for something naughty).
Brett Walker and the Texas Dangers (Stevie Ray Simpson on guitar and Jimmy “Head” Case on banjo) have been rocking their mix of bluegrass and psychobilly for just two years, but they sound like they’ve long been masters of the craft.
The album ranges from songs about turbulent relationships to songs about farming and cats. “Halflives” is about a man who doesn’t want lip service from his woman, he wants truth or he’s hitting the road. “Rooster’s Rant” flips it around. Walker’s woman has left him instead before daybreak and all he can do is crow after her. “The Grass Is Always Greener” is a lament about hard times on the farm that look like they will never end. “Shotgun Weddin’” is a protest song to a woman claiming Walker’s fathered her child and he’s willing to face a 12 gauge to get a paternity test. “Dirt and Words” is a tale of a man who “by dirt and words he lived, by dirt and words he’s dead.” It doesn’t get much more definite than that. It also has a neat structure – drifting and a little creepy one moment, shredding banjo and mandolin the next. “Face the Music” tells how Walker can’t hold onto the past and he hopes his music will help through dark times.

There’s fun on the album, too. “The Ballad of Bill the Cat” is a fun, goofy tribute to Walker’s grandmother’s cat. Anyone who’s been around barn cats has known a cat like this. “Love My Baby” is another one that will make you tap your toes and grin. It’s a song about rough sex. “I love my baby, but we don’t ever make love,” Walker sings, but later reveals that “making love” is a code phrase for a “violent act.” Ahem.

This is a damn good debut record. I’d watch these guys if I were you. I think they’ll be even bigger in 2013.



~ Nik Havert

Nik Havert is a writer, DJ, harmonica player, martial arts instructor, comic book publisher, crime fighter,music lover, cult movie enthusiast, and modern day Renaissance man. He hopes to shark cage dive sometime in the next few years and enjoys travel and good natural root beer.

Outlaw Magazine. Country, Rock and Roll, Blues, Folk, Americana, Punk. As long - Nik Havert: outlawmagazine.tv