Originally published at http://ninebullets.net/tag/brandon-adams-and-the-sad-bastards

I don’t want to harp on this point but some of the younger crowd in the Red Dirt scene seems to be losing their originality and individuality. It is albums like this self titled release from Brandon Adams And The Sad Bastards that give me hope for the genre. Brandon Adams, A West Texas native, started making music while attending Texas Tech, stopped and worked for a while as a golf pro eventually returning to Lubbock determined to make his own brand of music and did just that. It may have taken a decade of playing songwriters acoustic showcases but it has paid off in spades.

This one is full of raw pain and downers. I love that it cries out for me to down a bottle of Old Crow and chain smoke in the dark by myself without sounding the least bit whiny. From the opening track’s catchy melding of lost love and scriptural metaphor to the last track winding it down with some slow and simple loneliness this is Essential Listening.

Originally Published At http://www.austinmusiccity.com/music-news/brandon-adams-and-the-sad-bastards-release-self-titled-debut-album-

Austin, TX — With the release of their self-titled debut album on San Antonio’s Melodic Undertone label comes a series of shows by Brandon Adams and his band, The Sad Bastards, that includes four in their hometown of Lubbock, where Adams grew up, got his start, and continues to play and host regular acoustic songwriter showcases.

The group with the distinctive Texas country sound — mostly country, yes, but infused with Adams’ listening favorites (soul, funk, rock and such iconoclasts as Whiskeytown and Drive By Truckers) as well as his joy and pride in playing original music — will tour Texas into summer to share the new music.

Two of the new full-length album’s tracks are tear-it-up, rockin’ country songs, “Restless” and “Mr. Blues,” and three are infused with rock: “When You Leave,” “Loves Given Up” and “Baby Why” — each bears a bit of sadness, thus, Adams says, the name of the band. Listeners relate, as they did January 18 in Lubbock after a radio interview and O-Bar Depot show, with the sale of more than 500 of the new CDs on the group’s Web site and iTunes.

At the well-known Blue Light in Lubbock, Adams plays acoustic songwriters shows and hosts a songwriter showcase of original music for more than 60 writers in which they play and compete for shows, money, radio spins and even a music festival opening slot. The official CD Release Show was there January 28; the band will be there four other times, in February, March, May and June 4 for a street concert.

Upcoming shows include:
February 24, Hard 8 BBQ, Stephenville
February 25, Auslander, Fredericksburg
February 26, Downtown Brady, Texas
March 5, O Bar Depot, Lubbock
March 12, The Blue Light, Lubbock (with Casey Berry)
April 26-30, Larry Joe Taylor’s 23rd Annual Texas Music Festival, Stephenville
(performing every night and hosting The Blue Light late-night jam stage)
May 11, The Blue Light, Lubbock (with Charlie Shafter)
May 13, O Bar Depot, Lubbock
June 4, The Blue Light, Lubbock
(street concert with Charlie Shafter, Rodney Parker, Thriftstore Cowboys)

For more information, visit http://www.mcguckinpr.com.
Also see www.brandonadamsmusic.com
and http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/BrandonAdamsandtheSadBastards