This is a little different than my usual review since there’s no alcohol involved. My wife and I stumbled upon this group by accident when we got to the Dalton Domino show at Conway’s a little early. They were the opening act that we tried not to pay much attention to, but they were too good to be ignored and had a real Randy Rogers Band quality to their sound. So we sat there with our cold beers and soaked up some Matt & the Herdsmen for the first time, while talked about how we couldn’t believe an opening act was this good. So I’m going to provide 5 damn good reasons why you should check them out.
Reasons to Listen
- They’re from South Texas – the stories and subjects in their songs are things most Texans have had experiences or can relate to.
- Honky-tonk sound – a true swinging beat, steel guitar, and fiddle sounds fill their music like a good old Johnny Bush song. Yes that’s Johnny Bush, not Cash, look him up.
- Did I mention the lead singer sounds like Randy Rogers?
- These guys write their own tunes – no overproduced anthems, hook lines about big trucks, or any other mainstream Nashville garbage gimmicks.
- They’re pretty good guys (see below) – check them out of social media and you’ll see they’re just some normal dudes, who aren’t too busy trying to “grow their brand” to connect or say thanks to folks who support and appreciate their music.
Courtesy of Matt & the Herdsmen Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Mattandtheherds/)
So we accidentally got to listen to Matt & the Herdsmen on a Friday night a couple months ago, then I spent the next couple of days listening to their songs and exposing my friends to their stuff. Every time I showed someone new, I got a response along the lines of “is this Randy Rogers Band” or “where did you find real swing music”. I’ve been intending to do some kind of write up to help them get some more exposure. In other words, this write up is overdue.
It just so happens this is getting posted on the same week that these guys are scheduled to play with Kyle Park at historic Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, TX. Tickets are pretty cheap and I bet they won’t stay that way for this crew’s shows for long.
The Herdsmen just put out a new radio single a couple weeks ago titled “Hello Heartache” that’s currently working its way up the Texas Country charts. So make sure to check that one out via the freshly released music video below.
Favorite 3 Tracks:
For You
7th Street
Still Sane
Matt & the Herdsmen have a couple of tour stops in the San Antonio and Hill Country areas during the next few weeks, which is the perfect opportunity to grab a cold beer and checkout some great music. You can find their tour dates here. Grab their newest album “Still Sane” on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, or wherever else they sell music these days and give them a follow on social media!
Questions or comments about Matt & the Herdsmen or Texas music in general? Social media will get you a damn-near immediate response, so contact us on twitter or instagram @westboundsoul or leave a comment below.
