Under the Radar #11 – Beau Hinze & The Backporch Shufflers Share
July 21, 2011 by Mike Messick
Filed under Blog
“Under The Radar” is a regular feature on the Texas Music Scene where our official blogger, singer/songwriter/journalist Mike Ethan Messick, shines the spotlight on a deserving but lesser-known artist. Some of these subjects are just getting started and might be tomorrow’s headliner (or Texas Music Scene star); some are music veterans who’ve earned admirers around the state and around the world while taking the road less traveled. All of them well worth a look & listen, enjoy.
Beau Hinze & The Backporch Shufflers’ influences are a fairly loose pile, drawing from bits and pieces of bluegrass, classic honky-tonk, hootenanny-era story songs, No Depression alt-country and beyond. Their interplay, though, is woodshed-tight from a few years of jamming around their Brazos Valley homeland and beyond; it was enough to blast them to victory in Lone Star Beer’s Battle of the Bands competition in 2010, giving them the stamp of approval from an iconic Texas brand and a chance to play on one of the biggest stages in their career. A year later they’re still going strong. Here’s some more on them, in their frontman’s own words.
Where are you based out of?
Based a few miles from the Brazos River bottom in Independence, Tx….beautiful Washington County. Born and raised.
In your own words, describe your sound.
There’s 2 kinds of songs, drinkin’ songs and dancin’ songs, ….I don’t like to dance.
What are some of your favorite venues?
We always have a good time at Lakeside Icehouse on Lake Bryan with the outdoor atmosphere on the water. The folks are always laid back and kick it. Riley’s Tavern in Hunter is always a winner, they come early and stay late at that spot with their party boots on.
What music do you have out already, and what’s coming in the near future?
Since the band formed, we had 2 releases. In 2010 we released ‘Undertow’ and in April of this year we cut the EP ‘Six Pack: The Dirty Half Dozen’. They both hold a sense of diversity throughout the tracks and we’re proud of that. We’ve talked about re-releasing some more of the tunes from my 2007 self produced ‘This Round’s On Me’ and let the guys put their flavor on a handful.
Name your favorite career highlight, so far.
Winning the Lone Star Beer contest granted us some really cool opportunities. Got us some live TV spots and unlocked a lot of gig doors as far as live venues go. Playing the festival along with Bob Schneider, Dale Watson & Band of Heathens to a pasture full of music lovers was incredible. Those 60 minutes seemed like 6…..it was unreal.
If someone’s only gonna buy one song of yours…where to start?
The title track ‘Undertow’ off last year’s record…. ‘Swamp Rabbit Boogie’ off the new one….both miles outside the box.
Name some of your main influences as a songwriter/musician?
Chris Ledoux had me writing cowboy poetry back in high school & college, Metallica taught me how to enjoy playing fast and Adam Carroll showed me that simple can be complex.
What’s one of the strangest gigs you’ve ever played?
Around 2005 I did a reunion one Tuesday night and the youngest person in the place was 65. Playing wild bar life related originals & covers to 40 sober, decaffeinated coffee consuming partygoers. Something just didn’t seem to fit. Ladies falling asleep in the back of the room since it was going on 8 oclock. One gentleman asked me if I had any tapes for sale,…God bless that fellow for making me smile. So now I definitely ask a couple more questions before confirming a gig!
RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE: Old Crow Medicine Show, the Doug Moreland Show, the Gourds, South Austin Jug Band, or Robert Earl Keen’s first three albums.
Peace,
MEM
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This guys are awesome, great songwriting. I can’t wait to see them live.
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