We spent NYE at Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon rockin’ and rollin’ to the sounds of Shaun Young, The Horton Brothers and Bear McCreadie. There is a video posted on YouTube, but here is a higher quality one for you with fast internet:

The video quality varies through the movie, as I was using two different digital still cameras to capture it…

We’ve added the Bear Family box set “Under Western Skies” by Marty Robbins, as well as “Texotica” by Biller and Horton into our playlist .

In addition to the playlist, (and you might have noticed.. or not… that I’ve moved onto a WordPress platform) I’ve been messing around with some things on the technical side and am trying to get a server setup so that we can broadcast in 3GPP streaming… what does that mean? It means I’m trying to make Big C Radio accessible for streaming thru your internet-capable cell phone. Some people out there with 3G and Windows mobile probably can already handle it, but I’m trying to get to those people with services like EDGE on T-Mobile and basic handsets like my new Nokia 6133. Updates will follow…

If you don’t like what’s currently playing right now (or my server is down–it happens!), why not go down under and check out 10 Gallon Radio. A kindred soul with a taste of the old school.

Also, taken from their blog (a little late): Congratulations to Johnny Paycheck, the 72nd member of the Grand Ole Opry.

from the AP:

Freddy Fender, the “Bebop Kid” of the Texas-Mexico border who later turned his twangy tenor into the smash country ballad “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” died Saturday. He was 69.

Fender, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in early 2006, died at noon at his Corpus Christi home with his family at his bedside, said Ron Rogers, a family spokesman.

Over the years, he grappled with drug and alcohol abuse, was treated for diabetes and underwent a kidney transplant.

Fender hit it big in 1975 after some regional success, years of struggling and a stint in prison when “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” climbed to No. 1 on the pop and country charts.

“Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” rose to No. 1 on the country chart and the Top 10 on the pop chart that same year, while “Secret Love” and “You’ll Lose a Good Thing” also hit No. 1 in the country charts.

We’ll miss you Freddy.

We did have a little gig going, playin records (ok, mp3s) on Tuesday nights at the Poodle Dog, but some crackhead broke into our car and stole our laptop, amplifier, and camera. Sucktacular. I’ll keep you posted if we do it again.

Ok, we’ve been out and around lately, visiting the ruins of the Chicken Ranch, seein’ Sunny alot on Sundays, and checking out some of the other great offerings here in Austin — most notably these two new additions to the playlist: Bear and the Essentials - Two Time Fool, and Lucas Hudgins and the First Cousins - Honky Tonk Illusion. Both are superb examples of a healthy mix of rockabilly and classic honky tonk country, unmarred by modern influences. Bear’s record sounds heavily influenced by Johnny Horton and the early rockabilly, while the First Cousins lean more towards the Hillbilly side, yet have a much more rockabilly sound when they play live. Both are now in the current playlist.

All the way from Austin, Texas…. A drunken night at the Poodle Dog Lounge (website by me!) has procured us a copy of the Moonhangers’ new CD: Homegrown. The alter-egos of the rockin’ blues combo, Chili Cold Blood, the Moonhangers hold their own on the country side, cranking out tunes with a punk rock rawness and the classic outlaw style of Waylon.

AND… from across the pond, where England swings like a pendulum do (does?) comes this great rockabilly record by Johnny and the Midnight Trio, featuring a tight collection of originals as well as covers of Eddie Cochran, Elvis, and more. Johnny, we appreciate you sending a copy for our playlist!

I’m running out of space to hold all the music! The station’s playlist is currently at 13,193.. while my entire collection on the HD is well over 19,000 songs.

Which reminds me, I should back it up soon.

New additions recently to the playlist:

Conway Twitty - Conway Rocks (early rockabilly-Bear Family)
Eddy Bond - Rockin’ Daddy (Bear Family)
Etta James - The Definitive Collection
Flatt and Scruggs - 1964-69 (Bear Family)
The Gin Palace Jesters - Honkytonk Fools
Jimmy Dean - Big Bad John (Bear Family)
Ricky Nelson - The American Dream
Johnnie Ray - Cry (Bear Family)

Enjoy!

Just finally picked up a CD we’ve been wanting for a while– the Sunny Sweeney Band. Sunny is a beautiful gal from east Texas who (in my opinion) has a little Dolly and a little Wanda Jackson mixed in with a female Merle Haggard.

Probably the most under-rated singer in Austin these days, you can catch her every Sunday night at the Poodle Dog Lounge, up north on Burnet. Added to the playlist is her CD, “Heartbreaker’s Hall of Fame.” Enjoy.