Red Dirt music story rejected by Texas Music Times

By A.W. Griffin
Red Dirt Reporter

WICHITA FALLS, Texas – If you’re a serious fan of the Texas and Red Dirt music scene, the idea of having some popular singer/musicians populating the genre coming to play at your birthday party.
That was the case for Texas/Red Dirt concert promoter Woody Hodges, a 36-year-old Texan who has been promoting the scene via his company, Sold Out Productions, based in Denton.
For his December 5th birthday, Hodges arranged for three artists – Toby Wayne, Johnny Cooper and Mike McClure – to perform an acoustic show at Stage West in Wichita Falls.
For a Wednesday night, there was a good crowd for the gig.
And Hodges, whose seen or worked with just about everyone in the Texas/Red Dirt scene said “it’s kind of a been a tradition to have McClure play on my birthday.”
And Hodges said he is becoming a big fan of Red Dirt outlaw Jackson Taylor. Taylor, a rockabilly fan who performed an acoustic version of Social Distortion’s “Ball and Chain,” took the time to make Woody’s birthday party and play a few songs between Cooper and McClure.
“Jackson wasn’t hired and just showed up to celebrate the occasion,” Hodges said. “We have really developed a good relationship over the last few months and I was very pleased to see him walk in.”
He added that Jackson Taylor is one of his top five favorites on the scene.
And the thing about Woody Hodges, a former disc jockey and drummer, is that he has a real ear for good Texas/Red Dirt music and is always bringing good artists to perform at Stage West for “Woody’s Acoustic Chaos” each Wednesday night.
For instance, Johnny Cooper has been one of Woody’s favorite artist to hire. Cooper is young, enthusiastic and talented. Plus, he has a growing audience and that’s good for business.
Cooper looks up to fellow performer Mike McClure and said as much, noting that tonight’s gig was a “serious thing” and that it had been a while since the two had performed together.
The plan was to have Johnny Cooper play with Mike McClure, along with Cooper’s lead guitar player, Jason Brown, backing them up. However, Brown had an emergency and had to leave.
Cooper seemed a little bummed about not playing with McClure this night. Still, Cooper said he was content to “sit back and watch” the unpredictable, prolific and eccentric Mike McClure.
And McClure was, well, McClure. Looking like a grad student from Cornell, McClure breezed drunkenly through a scattershot set of originals (“Lay Your Head Down,” “North Platte Blues”) and the occasional cover (“Into the Mystic”).
And as a fan myself, it is fun to see the artists at Stage West (or Duvallz in Lawton, Oklahoma) performing acoustic shows and in a more intimate environment.
A week later, Woody, still pumped after last week’s show, hosted another solid gig, featuring Brandon Rhyder and singer-guitarists Lance Burnett and Jeremy Jowers from Seymour, Texas-based Under the Influence Band. This was somewhat of an extension of his post-birthday acoustic chaos gigs. And those in attendance for this latest show were excited to share it with their friend Woody.
Rhyder, who arrived with his guitar and little else, took time to talk to a serious fan who is stationed at a local Air Force base.
“All of his music is awesome,” said Steven Sheeley, a native of Midlothian, Texas.
Jowers and Burnett, who play a Texas music style that has a rock and blues influence, admiring everyone from Michael Nesmith to Chris Knight, put on a good show for the nice, Wednesday night crowd.
In the crowd this night was P.J. Berry, a super-fan from nearby Iowa Park, Texas. Sporting a red Shooter Jennings T-shirt and wielding a digital camera, this 55-year-old was having the time of her life snapping pictures of the artists over the course of the evening.
She talked about suffering from an illness a few years back and being confined to a wheelchair – until she was introduced to Texas and Red Dirt music – music she says saved her life.
“It got me out of that wheelchair,” she said with a winning smile.
Berry, who goes to Texas and Red Dirt shows all over with her husband Ron Berry, said after spending time with her bartending son down in Austin back in the late 1990’s, she took a liking to the music.And for Woody, what did he think of the turnout and the party with McClure and Cooper?
Said Hodges, “I was very pleased with the turnout. It is hard to have a bad show with Mike & Johnny. Then throw in some Jackson Taylor and Toby Wayne, that equals a great party and some of the best talent around. It was one of the best Birthday parties I have had and know I will have a hard time beating it next year. I better start working on that right now!”
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