As all devotees of Lubbock music know, a weekend of tripping through the various local venues in search of that sound will net anything from rock, blues, country, jazz, funk, alternative folk and all stops between. Woven into that rich tapestry seems to be a sun-streaked, dust-colored thread that, if one could put a finger on it, is, in its truest sense, our culture. It is community. It is camaraderie. Beyond that, it is a countrified folk sound with a pulsing heartbeat of mellow jazz…blues blown dusty and wild by the West Texas wind…bluegrass, more like prairie grass on fire…and rock, solid as the dirt roads cutting through this area’s rustic plain. But take away the friendships between the musicians and all is lost.

Influenced by a lifetime of West Texas sounds, Billy Whitson of the Texas BelAirs once called it "flatbilly music." More recently, when asked for a quick definition, Whitson said, "It’s hard-drivin’, hard-livin’ and no money" that creates the sound, adding that "pretty women" also play a part. Another party to that conversation, Kevin Mings said, "Cottonfields and ridin’ barbed-wire." Local songwriter DG Flewellyn showed up and added his own perspective, saying, "I don’t think there is a definition, and that’s what makes it so good. Just when you think you’ve got it, it goes somewhere else."

No matter what the definition or lack thereof might indicate, West Texas music holds its own when it ventures outside the boundaries drawn by watercolor sunsets and the dusty turn rows through our precious cottonfields. Our most recent exports, the Texas BelAirs, of Lubbock, and the Groobees from Amarillo, have both undertaken new journeys. Although their paths are crisscrossed and, at times, intertwined, both of these bands have mapped their trips down divergent highways.

With the release of their debut CD, Sons of Preachers, the Texas BelAirs seem ready to launch their careers via Austin and a circuitous road to Hollywood with an appearance in an independent movie by Trick Dog Films. The movie, due for release sometime this fall, is called "Brothers, Dogs and God." Film makers David Hickey and Amy Manor have Lubbock ties and were very familiar with the BelAirs’ music. A natural sequence of events and a bar room scene in the movie led Hickey and Manor to contact Kent Mings about having the band perform in the film. The rest of that story is in the unwritten pages of our local history books, and, for now, remains to be unraveled.

The Groobees have chosen yet another unique path to their grand destiny with the release of their latest CD, The Groobees. After several months of negotiations with lawyers and record company executives, the Groobees have now signed with Blix Street Records in North Hollywood. Blix Street has a marketing strategy which will find them focusing on promoting the Groobees to a European market in which they have a stronghold. Bill Straw of Blix said, when asked what made the Groobees attractive to his company, "It was a no-brainer for us: the songs, Susan’s strong voice and seeing them perform at Gruene Hall one hot, swarthy Sunday afternoon…songwriter credit for a song that was the title cut of an album [Wide Open Spaces] that has sold over 6 million copies…all of this sparked my interest."

Both of these fine CDs have found their way into my collection. Sons of Preachers is locally available at both locations of Ralph’s Records, Tapes and CDs, Taco Village and Whitson Music. My copy of The Groobees is actually an early advance of the CD due for release early in September.

The Texas BelAirs, Kent Mings and brothers Wes and Kevin Mings have finally done what many of us feel is overdue, considering the wealth of original material they have amassed over the past ten years or so. Sons of Preachers captures the wild spirit of West Texas then sets it free for all to hear! The impressive poetry of the first song, "High Plains," the rocking drive and Harold Aiken’s steel guitar in "Play For Our Whiskey" and the certain controversy of Kent’s "Chiles & Tomatoes," all ring with passion, wit and West Texas wisdom.

In "High Plains," Kent Mings paints what may be a self-portrait of a young, rebellious boy growing up weed-like in the cottonfields of West Texas:

It’s a portrait with which many of us are familiar…a connection that is felt with each beat of different hearts. The emotion of the song is rooted in the reality that growing up in this area, especially from a rural perspective, was a mixed bag. It’s a sense of family and hard work and West Texas dirt and the knowledge that play was always at hand.

The countdown and the whine of Harold Aiken’s masterful steel guitar on "Play For Our Whiskey" makes way for what Kent Mings described five years ago as "high octane country." This song is featured in "Brothers, Dogs and God" as a live barroom performance and conjures visions of accomplished two-steppers on a hardwood floor. The presence of Jesse "Guitar" Taylor’s expert interpretation adds particular interest to the BelAirs’ work on this song.

On "Chiles & Tomatoes," Kent’s homespun lyrical politics might inspire listeners to join NORML:

And we smoke marijuana
just cause we wanna
smile that smile
feel that feelin’
that’s so fine.

Ponty Bone’s accordion, acoustic lead by Jesse Taylor, Lloyd Maines on dobro and Tina Carraway’s fine fiddle make this song sound like a party. There is talk of a video for "Chiles & Tomatoes." A meeting with videographers in Austin last month put Kent Mings in the middle of storyboarding the project with producers. This BelAirs’ song is a longtime favorite among Lubbock live music enthusiasts.

Other principals involved with Sons of Preachers are due much credit for what one can only expect to be the success of this Texas BelAirs’ release. Jay Hataway plays bass on all but one cut. Wes "Tex" Mings, now living near Austin, came in to provide some harmonies on numerous songs and lead vocals on his own "Please Don’t Go." (Wes also gives his doghouse bass a workout on that song.) Mike Carraway and Joel Searsey share the lead guitar credits with Jesse Taylor. Alan Munde puts that bluegrass banjo work to good use on "Until I Met You," a song which finds Tina Carraway womaning a mic for some beautiful soprano harmony. Ingrid Holly-Kaiter’s harmonies mix wonderfully with Kent’s lead on "Surprise, Goodbye." Someone coaxed a haunting harmony out of Kevin Mings on "How Can You Own." Who knew this drummer could sing? Engineer Alan Crossland provides some percussion along with the ever-present Billy Whitson, who beats one mean rubboard throughout many of the songs.

With momentous rhythm and thoughtful lyrics Sons of Preachers is a CD well worth the purchase price. This reviewer could find only one weak link in the entire chain of songs that makes up this recording. Although "Angela Hell" is a favored tune during live performances by this band, its omission would have been welcome on the CD. Fine performances by all involved notwithstanding, the lyrics of this ballad create an unbecoming caricature of West Texas life and seem out of sync with the other eleven well-crafted songs.

The Groobees, the upcoming release by the band of that same name, has a similar fault. That fault, however, lies not with the inclusion of any song or songs, but with the actual omission of a particular song expected to be in the mix. Many fans familiar with the Groobees more recent songs will miss "Sleepwalking," a song with refined rhythms, trademark Gibson poetry and an expansive windblown melody. Others will complain that "Cheap Trucker’s Speed" would have listed well. Then there’s Scott Melott’s "Queen of the Hardwood," a song that embodies three-four time with achingly beautiful lyrics and steel guitar. With only slightly more than 37 minutes of total play time and ten songs, the Groobees CD leaves the listener wanting more.

According to Blix Street’s Bill Straw, the short duration of a CD, especially one with as much appeal as this one, makes it likely to be replayed immediately. That second time around may create a bonding process, wherein the listener is more inclined to remember the experience.

With The Groobees, that experience is naturally quite pleasant! In fact, it is 37 plus minutes of Susan Gibson’s uncommonly refined vocalizations; 37 plus minutes of musical interplay that tattoos a memory into the brain. From its beginning with "Ahead of Time," to the final strains of "Not My Man," this CD is one that literally compels the listener to pay attention. The price of that attention is very small indeed, considering the worth of its content.

"Ahead of Time" leaps from the starting gate with lyrics as fine as hand tatted lace.

Spent a half a tank of gas on this conversation
Still hasn’t gotten us anywhere
Twenty miles outside of town
and feeling my frustration
You wanted to clear the air.

It’s the break-up song of the century! As sure as love is lost on lovers who have spent it recklessly, this song grabs the heart and Susan Gibson’s voice pulls the strings.

Although my copy of The Groobees came to me devoid of liner notes, it is not difficult to recognize Richard Bowden’s accomplished fiddle work on "Shut This Place Down." A steel guitar sings most movingly when Rick Faucett takes his seat at the party. Rock and roll and thundering choruses make this song. The poetry is just a bonus along with the jazz punctuated skillfully by Susan’s scat-sung outro.

Featuring Scott Melott’s vocal lead, "Steady As She Goes," quickly became one of my favorites. The way Susan takes a harmony and quickly turns it into a second melody on this one is simply delicious. Nice, nice guitar work from Gary Thomason. I can almost see him smiling, eyes closed, as he works that mean magic.

"Dwindle," always a favorite in the Groobees’ live performances, exudes a new kind of energy in its studio incarnation. Thomason on lead guitar and Melott on accordion are working it for all it’s worth and maybe a nickel more. The finale of this song certainly does not dwindle away as Rick Faucett sends a steel question out to Gary Thomason on lead guitar and Lloyd Maines on dobro. The responses ring, repeat and ring again in a marvelous use of tone and grace.

Rounding out The Groobees are remastered versions of "Wide Open Spaces" and "Not My Man." While these songs have been around West Texas for a while, this CD has the potential ability to familiarize the world with the music we have all loved from the first time we heard it.

Lyrics spin gently with Susan Gibson’s voice taking them through their cycle on the Groobees’ latest CD. Even when the instrumentation takes a high road, as it does on every one of these songs, Susan’s voice stands at the pinnacle. It is the center of sound, and, at the same time, the outer limit of resonance moving and changing like the landscape of the Great High Plains of Texas. Lloyd Maines and his Cedar Creek Studio folks worked very closely with the Groobees on this CD. Maines' long personal history in the Lubbock music scene makes him the perfect choice for engineering and production work on The Groobees. Money dropped on this CD is time well-spent.

We will all surely miss the Texas BelAirs and the Groobees when they leave this area to claim the fame waiting for them around the next corner. Through the technology of email and the friendships we West Texans honor above all else, I plan to keep in touch with them wherever they go on their journeys. With every song they write, and every note they play and sing, I know they will be introducing to the world, not only their own obvious talents and remarkable sound, but the spirit of this area. Through those introductions, hopefully, the world will come to know us in some small way.

The Texas BelAirs and the Groobees share their musical talents with West Texas in the celebration and release of their new CD’s at the Godbold Cultural Center, Saturday, September 18. Show starts at 9pm. Cary Swinney, Ponty Bone and Paul Bullock are special guests for this historic event. Food and munchies from Taco Village will be available for purchase.