...Anticipation for Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight... I just re-watched Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. It's been three years since Tarantino released a movie. I needed a break from revising stories, and decided to delve into his last read more...
The Rum Diary In Theaters Oct 28 Bruce Robinson directed a film based on Hunter S. Thompson's novel--The Rum Diary--starring Johnny Depp read more...
Monday's pair of reviews come from a couple of releases from earlier this year. Texan Josh T. Pearson's initial band, Lift to Experience, made one well regarded record a few years back, and he released Last of the Country Gentlemen, his first official solo album, in read more...
Texas Judge Aims For Willie Nelson This morning Texas judge Becky Dean-Walker said she would not accept Willie Nelson's mailed-in plea read more...
Willie Nelson's Nightly Bus Theater On this early Sunday evening perhaps some humor is needed. Check out Willie Nelson's June 11 episode of read more...
From Townes Van Zandt To Doc Watson Townes Van Zandt's Live at The Old Quarter read more...
A Salute To All The Veterans An early salute for the upcoming weekend... In honor of Memorial Day, and all the read more...
The Artwork of Will Johnson In preparation for the Texas band Centro-matic's upcoming release--Candidate Waltz--on June 21, I thought I'd shine a light on the artwork of the band's leader read more...
Happy Mother's Day 2011 Happy Mother's Day to Everyone! Since it's Mother's Day weekend, I thought I write a dispatch around the great Atlanta label
Grammy award winning blues pianist Pinetop Perkins died yesterday, March 21, of cardiac arrest at the age of 97. Perkins, whose real first name was Willie, read more...
Pinetop Perkins RIP The great blues pianist Joseph Willie “Pinetop” Perkins died today of a cardiac arrest at 97 years old in Austin, Texas. Born in Belzoni, Mississippi, Perkins played with many of America’s blues greats such as read more...
Black Joe Louis & The Honeybears Perform At SXSW The Austin, Texas, soul/blues band Black Joe Louis & The Honeybears formed in 2007. Heavily influenced by
Widespread Panic, Jason Isbell & Lucinda Williams Perform SXSW My friend Jim Flammia sent me a release yesterday regarding All Eyes Media artists performing at South By Southwest next week. Here is the release:
Shannon McNally At Chickie Wah Wah Tonight Shannon McNally's latest CD, Western Ballad, hits the street on March 22. McNally and her band Hot Sauce will play
The world of college athletics was almost turned upside down last summer when possible conference realignment(s) seemed to be rumored on a daily basis. Would the Big 12 still exist in 2011? Texas and Oklahoma to the Pac-10? Texas or Missouri to the Big Ten? Texas A&M to the SEC? read more...
There seems to be a rhythm to each winter over the last few years; an SEC team wins the BCS Championship in January and then the league cleans up in recruiting on the first Wednesday in February. Those two annual events are very intertwined, and we have written for years about how read more...
Marc Ford's Fuzz Machine In Texas Marc Ford will play five shows in Texas this month. I hope to have my recent two interviews with Ford ready by Monday or Tuesday. For read more...
LEAD STORY The BCS Championship Game is almost here, and the fans around our Swampland Footprint are very eager to see if Auburn can earn the SEC’s fifth straight national title. It’s quite the
Robert Plant’s Homage To Townes Van Zandt Robert Plant recorded Townes Van Zandt’s “Harm Swift Way” on his new Band of Joy disc. I heard the song today, and I read more...
The Black Angels: Phosphene Dream The Austin, Texas, band The Black Angels are a killer psychedelic rock group. They derived the name from the Velvet Underground song “The Black Angel’s Death Song.” The Black Angels recently released their third read more...
The True Grit of Charles Portis For the second time, the Charles Portis novel, True Grit, has been adapted to film. The first movie—starring John Wayne—hit the silver screen in 1969. Now, Joel & Ethan Coen have transformed the classic Portis novel read more...
Merry Christmas From Swampland Ho, Ho, Ho…I’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas from Swampland. Thanks for all the support. A Happy New Year to you all! Don’t let the Devil get you down. I’ve included a couple of read more...
LEAD STORY The amazing story of Auburn and Cam Newton will continue Saturday when they meet South Carolina in the SEC Championship Game.
Ryan Bingham Headlines ‘Stand Up For Kids’ On Dec 5 Oscar-winning musician Ryan Bingham and his band The Dead Horses will headline LA’s first annual benefit concert on Dec. 5. This one-day festival raises funds and promotes awareness concerning youth read more...
It’s rivalry week in our Swampland Footprint. Some teams are looking towards league titles (Auburn, Oklahoma/Oklahoma State, NC State, etc.) while some usual stalwarts are just trying to become bowl eligible (Texas, Georgia, Tennessee). The last weekend of the season is the read more...
LEAD STORY It finally happened. For the first time since joining the SEC in 1992, the South Carolina Gamecocks will represent the East Division in read more...
LEAD STORY The Cam Newton saga continues to be the story of the week in college football. It seems very likely that his father was involved in seeking money for his son’s commitment. Does read more...
LEAD STORY What an old-fashioned Southern soap opera we have on our hands. I’m sure by now you’ve read (or at least heard about) the ESPN story regarding the recruitment of Auburn read more...
Dylan, Petty & Drive By Truckers Participate In ‘Back To Black Friday’ In support of independent record stores, November 26 stands as ‘Back To Black Friday’. Artists such as Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, The Drive By Truckers, Iron & Wine, U2, read more...
LEAD STORY It’s a huge weekend in the Big 12, with conference and national title implications. Top-ranked Oklahoma travels to undefeated Missouri, while read more...
LEAD STORY With South Carolina’s huge 35-21 victory over Alabama, the SEC’s current streak of four straight National Championships looks to be in read more...
Nobel Peace Prize Campaign for Willie Nelson A Nobel Peace Prize Campaign has been launched for Willie Nelson and his FARM AID efforts. For the last 25 years Nelson has assisted the American farmer through FARM AID as well as raised awareness of healthy foods.
LEAD STORY Alabama and Florida will meet in Tuscaloosa Saturday in a battle of the last two National Champions. It’s been over two years since the Gators lost a regular season SEC game (Ole Miss, September ’08), and it’s been read more...
LEAD STORY Week 4 will be ‘Definition Saturday’ in our Swampland Footprint, especially in the SEC West. We should begin to see the true identity of many of our teams and what they have the potential to achieve in 2010.
Willie Nelson & Ryan Bingham: Double-Barreled Americana Ryan Bingham serves as Willie read more...
LEAD STORY After last season, we wrote how the ACC would look for improvement in 2010. Last year’s campaign was summed as read more...
Buffalo Springfield Reunites At Young’s Bridge School Benefit Buffalo Springfield will reunite for the first time in 42 years at
Guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, called by many the greatest blues guitarist since Jimi Hendrix, died read more...
Ryan Bingham & Willie Nelson Tour Together Ryan Bingham’s new CD, Junky Star, hits the streets on Tuesday. A few days later, Bingham and his band The Dead Horses will open shows for Willie Nelson read more...
It was quite the offseason for the Big 12, with the focus on school defections to other conferences. While Nebraska and Colorado will leave the league after this season,
What a summer it has been for the Big 12. From the impending departures of Nebraska and Colorado to the league remaining intact, the conference athletic directors and Commissioner Dan Beebe were just glad to get to the annual Big 12 Media Days in Irving, Texas. There will be still read more...
Ryan Bingham’s Bootleg Series In anticipation for the August 31 release of Academy Award-winning Ryan Bingham’s new CD, Junky Star, Bingham’s ‘Bootleg Series’ launches acoustic versions of the new material.
Killer Inside Me Adapted To Film Oklahoma-born writer Jim Thompson—known for books such as Killer Inside Me, The Getaway, The Grifters, Savage Night and A Hell of a Woman—wrote over 30 novels. Thompson’s read more...
The college expansion debate and possible maneuvering by key universities over the last month had everyone in our Swampland Footprint buzzing with opinion(s), but for now all of those negotiations and rumors did not amount to much movement.
Ryan Bingham’s Junky Star Set For Fall Release In the swirl of T-Bone Burnett produced projects such as Robert Randolph’s We Walk This Road (released today), Crazy Heart as read more...
Greetings Folks, I hope all is well, and everyone enjoyed Father’s Day… Change is afoot, and we’ve got a lot on the horizon, but for the past week much of the work has gone on behind the scenes. On the immediate agenda, the work of
T-Bone Burnett Produces Robert Randolph’s We Walk This Road On the heels of a Grammy for Crazy Heart, T-Bone Burnett’s latest production stands as pedal steel wizard Robert Randolph’s latest CD, We Walk This Road. In
Consider us here at Swampland Sports a bit ahead of our time. In September of 2007, we published an article about realigning southern college conferences so that read more...
Daniel Lanois In Motorcycle Accident Producer Daniel Lanois seriously injured himself Saturday in a motorcycle accident. Lanois has been forced to cancel his Black Dub read more...
Merle Haggard’s New Album & Willie Nelson’s New Tour Dates The great Merle Haggard released a new album this week. Look for the Swampland review soon. The album—I Am What I Am—released on Vanguard retains an old read more...
Record Store Day 2010 is read more...
Billy Joe Shaver Acquitted On Friday, April 9, Billy Joe Shaver read more...
Texas Songwriter Triumphs With Oscar
Texas Songwriter Wrote Theme Song for Jeff Bridges Film Crazy Heart A few years back, Ryan Bingham’s
We’re used to seeing Texas and Oklahoma at the top of the Big 12, and nothing was different on last week’s National Signing Day. The “Big 2” have won the last six conference title games, and they were both ranked in the nation’s Top 10 with their read more...
It’s finally here- a virtual holiday in our Swampland Footprint.
What a winter it has been for the Texas Tech. From the firing of Mike Leach to the inspired Bowl victory to the coaching search, Red Raider fans have had quite the ride in wondering what’s next for their football program.
It wasn't supposed to end like this. Texas fans could probably deal with a loss to Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game if they had their entire arsenal, but it just seems different after
It's finally here. Over a month after surviving a Big Red scare against Ndamukong Suh and Nebraska, Texas will take on another Big Red (techinally crimson) when they meet Alabama in tonight's BCS National Championship Game.
What a Texas-sized soap opera going on in Lubbock with the Texas Tech football program. Mike Leach has been fired from the program he took to new heights, and Red Raider fans are left with anger, confusion, and frustration. The Leach ouster has so many interesting angles; read more...
A college football coach suspended for a game? That’s definitely something we’re not used to seeing, and there’s no doubt the Mike Leach-Texas Tech administration conflict is very unique. The school’s brass announced their outspoken coach
The Latest T-Bone Burnett Ongoings This
The media has raised the question recently whether or not Texas assistants Will Muschamp and Major Applewhite, who served under Nick Saban at LSU and Alabama respectively, give the Longhorns any advantage with their familiarity of the Tide coach as they prepare for the BCS Title read more...
Both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State did not quite reach their football goals this season. The Sooners were riddled with injuries to top players and were never a factor in the league race. The Cowboys looked like the second best team in the conference, but still could not get over the read more...
With temperatures below freezing in Stillwater much of last week, Oklahoma State had to brave the elements in their preparation for the Cotton Bowl against Ole Miss. Meanwhile, the Rebels practiced in their indoor facility when the weather was cold or raining. It turns out that OSU read more...
Colt McCoy has done almost everything at the college level. He has won major awards, put up huge statistics, set the NCAA record for wins by a quarterback, and led the 'Horns to the BCS Title Game in '09. But what about the NFL level? In recent years, we've seen many Big 12 read more...
We mentioned yesterday that the Big Ten Conference was looking at possibly adding a 12th team, and that Missouri would be high on the list of choices. These types of decisions and read more...
Texas coach Mack Brown has the Longhorns playing for their second National Title in four years, and he has led the program to four BCS Bowls in a six year span. Those accomplishments, combined with the UT tradition and massive fan base, mean that the Texas football team brings in as read more...
Kansas made huge news in the conference this week with the naming of Turner Gill as head coach. The former Nebraska star recived a 5-year deal worth $10 million to continue the momentum on the field of the Mark Mangino regime, but without the off-the-field issues.
While Alabama fans celebrate, Big 12 followers are crying foul over college football’s most controversial award. With Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh finishing third and fourth, many league fans believe 2009 is just the latest chapter read more...
Colt McCoy will need a new trophy case after a postseason filled with accolades. He set the NCAA record this season for wins by a starting quarterback and led the Texas read more...
They say everything is bigger in Texas, and that now certainly applies to coach’s salaries. Much like the theme in our SEC story today, the University of Texas read more...
Could it happen? A defensive tackle winning the Heisman? That surprising development seems to be growing more and more possible
Texas rolled through most of the conference season before being challenged mightily by the Nebraska defense in the Title Game. Now the Longhorns face a tougher obstacle in read more...
Texas only got 13 points in their 13th victory, but it was just enough to get by Nebraska for the Big 12 Championship. The ugly defensive battle ended 13-12 on read more...
With Texas set as a two-touchdown favorite in the Big 12 Championship, the biggest story in the conference becomes the ouster of Mark Mangino at Kansas.
Texas has become a superpower once again during Mack Brown's tenure, winning more games than any other school in the country since 1998. Ten victories in a season read more...
With much of the media attention on Atlanta and the SEC this week. the Big 12 Championship at Cowboys Stadium is receiving much less national fanfare. The fan read more...
Look up "icon" in the dictionary and you are liable as not to find a picture of Willie Nelson. Always a favorite here at GRITZ, Nelson has played virtually every type of music with a plethora of great musicians. Now he makes good on a plan he made over 30 years read more...
Much of the attention this week before the Big 12 Championship Game will be on the matchup between the Texas offense and the Nebraska defense. Longhorn quarterback Colt McCoy has been read more...
While most of this season has been frustrating for Oklahoma fans, their counterparts in Stillwater have enjoyed a pretty successful year. But as far as Oklahoma State taking read more...
Although Texas A&M gave them quite the game, Texas took care of business 49-39 over the Aggies and Colt McCoy vaulted himself to the front of read more...
Texas wrapped up the South Division last week, and Texas A&M became bowl eligible with their win over Baylor. So there's not much to play for at Kyle Field on read more...
What a game Mike Leach’s club had against Oklahoma . Texas Tech outgained the Sooners by 239 yards on their way to a convincing 41-13 victory. After getting throttled 65-21 last read more...
What a wild win for Mike Gundy's Oklahoma State club on senior night in Stillwater. With starting QB Zac Robinson unable to play and backup Alex Cate struggling, read more...
As Oklahoma State prepares to host Colorado tonight, Mike Gundy will be focused on the game and the injury status of quarterback Zac Robinson. read more...
Oklahoma received some potentially big news this week when star tailback DeMarco Murray said he was “pretty sure” of returning to Norman read more...
Kansas State travels to Lincoln on Saturday, and they will battle Nebraska for the North's berth into the Big 12 Title Game. Bill Snyder has returned to the Wildcats sideline read more...
Many of the stories for the Big 12 Fever during the 2009 season have been negative in nature. Whether it was the injuries to Oklahoma's stars or the struggles of the North read more...
The league's best game of the week looks to be a potential shootout when Texas Tech travels to Stillwater to meets the Cowboys. The last time Oklahoma State read more...
Last week, Nebraska relied on the running game to beat Oklahoma while the Sooners threw five interceptions. Oklahoma State won at Iowa State by running for 331 yards while only throwing for 142. Kansas State beat rival Kansas by rushing for 266 yards and passing for 66.
A Nebraska writer has penned an interesting column that suggests the Cornhuskers would be the better opponent for Texas in order to have a competitive Big 12 Title game. We can surmise that fans in read more...
Mike Sherman’s club entered the Colorado game having won two in a row and seemed ready to make it three with an eleven-point lead at the half. However,
Oklahoma’s season went from frustrating to worse Saturday as Nebraska’s defense controlled the battle of the ‘Big Reds’ for a 10-3 win.
Berry Tramel of 'The Oklahoman' writes this week about something that just seems obvious to most college football fans: the Oklahoma-Nebraska game should happen every year.
Bill Snyder has returned to the sideline in Manhattan, Kansas, and the Wildcats are sitting in first place in the Big 12’s “little brother” Division. The read more...
It’s still the battle of the “Big Reds”, but this one doesn’t have quite the significance of past Oklahoma-Nebraska read more...
Texas A&M started the season by winning their first three games against rather weak opponents. That was followed by losing three in a row, including an embarrassing read more...
Texas versus Oklahoma State was built up as the game of the year in the conference, but the Longhorns separated themselves from the rest of the league with a read more...
The biggest game in Oklahoma State history? It's starting to feel that way around Stillwater as the Cowboys prepare to host #3 Texas on Saturday night. OSU enters the game 6-1 overall and unbeaten in the conference, and the ramifications of beating the Longhorns would be read more...
Sam Bradford had successful surgery yesterday, and he now will rehabilitate his shoulder in preparation for the NFL Draft. The read more...
Texas and Oklahoma State will meet in Stillwater this Saturday night in what looks to be the Big 12 game of the year. The enthusiasm of the Cowboys fan base was read more...
We've been very critical of the North Division and for good reason. As the conference tries to catch the SEC in national perception, the North has become an anchor read more...
While many consider Iowa State winning 9-7 over Nebraska the league's biggest surprise on Saturday, the divisional disparity in the Big 12 becomes cleraer when taken in combination with what occurred in Lubbock when
There was much debate last winter on whether Oklahoma's Sam Bradford should enter the NFL Draft. He had won the Heisman Trophy, and many thought he would be the read more...
As Texas Tech prepares to host Texas A&M this week, this game looks like two teams headed in different directions. After two tough losses to Top 20 teams to read more...
It’s been quite the rollercoaster for Mike Gundy’s Oklahoma State team. The renovated Pickens Stadium played host to a huge opening week victory over Georgia, read more...
We have written many times that for the Big 12 to catch the SEC in power, the North Division was going to have to pull its weight.
The nightmare for Oklahoma fans continued Saturday as their Heisman-winning quarterback was laying on the turf for the second time this season. Sam Bradford read more...
This one has it all-Tradition, Star players, Conference and National Title implications, and good old-fashioned hate. The Red River Rivalry will kick off read more...
Most of the attention in Big 12 country this week will be on the Red River Rivalry, but there are two other league games that will go a long way in defining the conference season.
Maybe it’s just gamesmanship before a huge rivalry battle, but the Texas Longhorns say they are glad to see Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford back on the field and ready to go read more...
In ten years at Texas Tech, Mike Leach had never seen one of his starting quarterbacks miss a start because of injury. That changed last Saturday when Steven read more...
Oklahoma fans received some comforting news the weekend when Sam Bradford was announced as the starter. The Heisman winner threw for 389 yards and a score in read more...
It looked good for three quarters. Missouri was up 12-0 over Nebraska in a game that saw a torrential downpour throughout the night in Columbia. Unfortunately for read more...
A key game in the Big 12 North will take place Thursday night when the surprising Missouri Tigers host Nebraska. Gary Pinkel’s team has been one of the nice surprises read more...
When Oklahoma travels to meet Baylor, all eyes will be focused on the quarterback position-for both teams. Obviously the whole nation is waiting to see if Sam read more...
The early story in the conference has been the decline of injury-riddled Oklahoma and their two non-conference losses. Meanwhile, the
It started well enough. The Oklahoma defense got two early interceptions, but Landry Jones and the offense could only turn them into seven points. Miami eventually got read more...
The mystery is over for Oklahoma: Landry Jones will start at quarterback when the Sooners travel to Miami to meet a hungry Canes squad.
We’ve written this week about the tough blow Baylor suffered when start quarterback Robert Griffin was lost for the season. Based on his stellar freshman read more...
Lost in all the Big 12 buzz has been Mike Sherman's quiet rebuilding job in College Station. Most were wondering how A&M had sunk so low before Sherman's hiring. It looks like it's the same old story - not enough recruiting of talent.
The decision of the season is rapidly approaching for Bob Stoops: does Sam Bradford play against Miami read more...
It was a fairly solid week for the Big 12 as most of the conference beat up non-BCS opponents. But the one that got away was the read more...
The talk of Texas this week continues to be the high octane matchup of Texas Tech at Houston. Second year HC Kevin Sumlin has read more...
One of the best developments for the Big 12 North this season has been the solid early start of the Missouri Tigers. With the departure of Chase read more...
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. In what promises to be a Wild West offensive onslaught, Texas Tech will meet Houston in a game that sees these two teams in unfamiliar roles.
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. Bob Stoops and the Oklahoma doctors will have an interesting decision to make in the upcoming weeks.
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. Texas was able to take care of business against Texas Tech this year, and it looks like
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. Texas is ready to tackle a key step towards their goal of a Big 12 (and National) Title when they host Texas Tech Saturday night.
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. The game of the week nationally may be the Nebraska-Virginia Tech matchup.
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. It was the signature highlight of the 2008 season- Michael Crabtree’s catch and score as Texas Tech upset undefeated Texas.
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. As the North Division strives to catch up with the South, the need for big non-conference wins becomes paramount.
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top ACC story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. After a thrilling 24-10 win over Georgia, the fans in Stillwater were on Cloud 9. With a Top 10 ranking and the cross-state rival Sooners loss, the potential of read more...
Big 12 Weekend Fever Previews Top Stories for the Upcoming Weekend What a tough decision for Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder: Dallas vs. Stillwater for the huge opener agianst Georgia.
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top ACC story of the day. Disagree? Let us know.
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top ACC story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. The young season just keeps getting worse for Oklahoma.
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. There was the nightmare-with less than ten seconds to go in the first half. It was Oklahoma’s worst fear;
There are just so many, many singer songwriters in the South. So many really good ones, especially in and around Nashville and Austin. Loads of talent. All of that being said, there are always a few that just rise to the top. Those rare artists who captivate you from the read more...
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. Nervous Sooner fans are still waiting for official confirmation from Oklahoma, but apparently
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. It’s been an interesting week in Stillwater as Oklahoma State prepares for their huge matchup with Georgia.
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. After going 4-8 in his first season in College Station, Mike Sherman knows how hard he must work to turn things around.
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. When looking for candidates to challenge the “Big 2” in the South Division, most experts see Oklahoma State playing the role this season that Texas read more...
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. The same question always hangs over the Texas Tech program- is it the quarterback or the system?
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. In the conference currently known for offense, the team that plays the best defense may be the one that advances to the Title game.
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. With Chase Daniel at the helm, Mizzou fans got used to seeing the ball tossed all over the field.
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman has made an interesting decision
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. The Big 12 conference was well represented in the initial AP Top 25 Poll with
Dylan Offers Sexton His Old Job Back Charlie Sexton accepted his old job back as guitarist in
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. As a highly-anticipated season approaches for Oklahoma State, we know about the preseason Top 10 rating, the renovations to Boone Pickens Stadium, and the read more...
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. We wrote earlier in the week about read more...
Delbert McClinton has a new record out called Acquired Taste. The album was produced by Don Was and features the guitar work of the late Stephen Bruton. He also dedicated the album to the memory read more...
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. Texas Tech got some welcome news as it appears that
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. Missouri got some huge news read more...
Big 12 Daily Fever is the top Big 12 story of the day. Disagree? Let us know. Oklahoma is still read more...
All good things, they say, must eventually come to an end, even if it’s a mega-star country music act like Brooks & Dunn. Louisiana man Kix Brooks and Texan Ronnie Dunn have announced that they are parting ways as a duo following a farewell read more...
After concluding Senate hearings about the BCS, Senator Orrin Hatch wrote an op-ed piece that appeared on ESPN.com. Here's a selection of that article: During the June 7 read more...
Mystery And Manners’ Summer Tour Notes Volume 2 This
Mystery And Manners' Summer 09 Tour Notes
“Time read more...
As I transcribed my recent interview with Texas songwriter Ryan Bingham, I came across this bit in the interview where Ryan talks about
Dylan & Nelson Hit The Road Together Luminaries Bob Dylan read more...
Ryan Bingham’s Roadhouse Sun Arrives Yesterday I received my advanced copy of Ryan Bingham’s highly anticipated sophomore CD, read more...
The current adage “Old age is not for sissies” has never been more true. Gertrude Baines, who became the world's oldest living person on read more...
The Derek Trucks Band welcomed a very special read more...
"Beyond the horizon, in the Springtime or Fall Love waits forever for one and for all." --Bob Dylan Greetings read more...
Portfolio Magazine released their list of the Best Markets for Small Business. Here are the cities that made their Top read more...
The reaction to Signing Day is always interesting as every coach in America is thrilled with their class while fans have mixed reactions to their school’s ranking and new players. Everyone that followed Wednesday's coverage saw plenty of ESPN's favorite big-market teams read more...
It’s finally here! National Signing Day is upon us, and this is the time where quality programs establish themselves for the upcoming years. The welcoming of a new recruiting class energizes fans and provides coaches with the opportunity to show that their school will be-or read more...
Water is wet, the sky is blue, and the University of Texas is working on another top-notch recruiting class. The Longhorns Mine Their State's Natural Talent Base Most BCS schools try to comb their region (if not the read more...
Chalk SI.com's Stewart Mandel as the latest member of the national media that just doesn’t understand the culture of the SEC football landscape. Mandel's latest involves
It’s really sad that Eric Quincy Tate never really received the acclaim they so richly deserved. From their stellar albums to their smoking concerts and gigs in Piedmont Park with
Proof, in college football, always comes over at least a two year period. This means that Heisman winners and BCS Championship opponents almost always have to have a strong previous season leading into their big year.
The college football regular season ended by giving us the matchup that made the most sense--the SEC Champion vs. the Big 12 Champion. The BCS title game should be a high-scoring, exciting affair and one that all of the fans in our Swampland footprint will appreciate. Florida will read more...
Here we are, after a week off due to technical difficulties, to find ourselves on the verge of crowning some conference champions and setting up the BCS Title teams. It has been a long and exciting year. Luckily for us, today's games have the potential to live up to the read more...
So it’s Oklahoma that gets the chance to represent the Big 12 South in Kansas City, and they will probably get a shot at the National title with a victory. Of read more...
1. It has finally happened. For the first time since 1982, the Vanderbilt Commodores will be eligible to go to a bowl. Vandy rode D.J. Moore read more...
After a season of many a wild ride, a little clarity emerged from last week's games. The SEC has their championship game set. The Big 12 is now down to three (maybe four) potential BCS participants. The rest of our TF conferences have a ways to go, but none of read more...
1. After all of the Nick Saban drama last week in Baton Rouge, we finally got a close game from a SEC marquee matchup. Alabama and LSU staged a very hard-fought battle, but as we’ve written about so much this season in the SEC, the quarterback play was the difference. Alabama read more...
College football remains the Footprint's most compelling and spectacular sport. The 2008 season has delivered us yet again a roller coaster ride of sporting goodness. The stakes have been high all season. So far, at least two key programs (Tennessee and read more...
The Dean of SEC football coaches, Phillip Fulmer, announced on Monday that he would agree with the University of Tennessee’s decision for him no to return for the 2009 season. It was one of the
1. Wow – what an instant classic in the Lonestar State. Texas Tech pulled off an amazing upset of #1 Texas with one second to go and sent their raucous fans read more...
Georgia and Florida in Jacksonville The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party has more at stake than ever – read more...
1) The biggest difference between teams in the SEC this season is simply quarterback play. Alabama, Georgia, and Florida came into the season with experienced/quality signal callers, and they have been the class of the league. Lack of experience or just poor play at quarterback has read more...
Although you can't take a week off in college football, this week seems like a palate cleanser before some of the biggest homestretch games are played. November will feature great game after great game and next week's
Last week was a lesson in symmetry. Many teams met on the field that looked like mirror images. Something had to give, and it did. 3 of the top 5 teams lost giving the nation a new number one, Texas, who beat Oklahoma in what was probably a top 10 of all time Red read more...
We've already been treated to upsets throughout the Tribal Fever landscape, but let's not forget that upsets require a precondition of disparity between teams, etiher real or imagined. This Saturday's games are of a different sort. It seems across the board that all read more...
Last week had USC losing on Thursday which appeared to set up big things for Georgia and Florida. Then, both stumbled last week, but both have a chance to redeem their season. This shapes up to be another great season filled with surprises as another team with destiny read more...
Of course, this means that the two perennial pretenders that stand in our way, Ohio State and USC, have both lost and neither appear to have the right kinds of games left to springboard back into the national title hunt. That should mean that the national championship game read more...
This weekend marks the beginning of some classic early season rivalry games inside the SEC. TF has a rundown of all the key games. BEST INTRA-CONFERENCE GAMES
Last night was the glorious kick off to the 2008 college football season. Teams from almost every conference had games allowing us some very early previews of what might be coming in the weeks ahead. Everyone now knows about the
The Tao of Willie 8/23/08 "He's a carved-in-granite-samurai warrior Gypsy guitar-pickin' wild man with a heart as big as Texas and the read more...
As our beloved college football season nears, we at Tribal Fever thought everyone should read this comparison between college football in the South versus our Northern counterparts. (This has been making the rounds via email so many of you might have already seen it - read more...
I find it interesting just how many of our greatest Southern Rockers come from the same cities. Especially our number one city for Southern Rock, Jacksonville, Florida. Check out our list of the Top Ten read more...
Bingham's Nomination & Harris-Merritt Television Appearance 6/12/08 In Nashville today Ryan Bingham received a nomination for the New read more...
Tribal Fever will never stop its defense of the greatest sport in our Footprint - college football. How a sport that has record ratings and revenue would ever be under scrutiny is beyond us, but we believe the heart of that line of criticism lies in its "limited" read more...
by Patrick Snow There is one more week of college baseball before the conference tournaments, and the teams in our Swampland footprint are looking very strong. I had the pleasure this past weekend to attend a great 3-game series between Vanderbilt and Georgia. The Bulldogs read more...
Despite winning back to back national titles in football, the SEC susre seems to hate the BCS. Lately, this hatred has been reaching a new level. It all started when University of Georgia President Michael F. Adams announced a proposal for
Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters have signed a deal with Vanguard with a 2-CD set due out June 10. The Boxmasters, who we first wrote about after attending their
I just spent an hour on YouTube listening to some mighty great music. In keeping with my recent post about the remarkable Shooter read more...
Shooter Jennings rocks. There's no doubt about it. Shooter represents everything GRITZ is about, blending classic Southern read more...
Here a quick primer for our teams in this weekend’s NCAA Tournament. East – This is definitely the Heavyweight bracket for our Swampland region. With #1 overall seed North Carolina playing near home in Charlotte, the Tar Heels have to be read more...
The least surprising of all conference tournaments this March has been the Big 12 Tourney in Kansas City. Both Texas and Kansas have been Top 10 teams for most of the season, and they have maneuvered their way to Sunday’s Championship game with a probable #1 seed on the line read more...
* The Big 12 is looking quite solid as the postseason approaches. There is a strong possibility that half of the league gets an invitation to the Big Dance, with both Kansas and Texas still having a shot at a #1 seed. If either the Longhorns or Jayhawks win the Big 12 Tournament, read more...
* Texas’ stellar play throughout the season has put them into great position for a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Winners of read more...
My LIife's Been a Country Song, the fourth album from Capitol Records Nashville artist Chris Cagle, debuted at #1 on Billboard’s “Current Country” chart, with 36,600 in
GRITZ has lost another good friend. The legendary drummer Buddy Miles passed on this past Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at the age of 60 from congestive heart failure at his home in Austin, Texas.
Latest Releases From James McMurtry and Otis Redding 2/27/08
* What a great game Monday night between Texas and Kansas. In my opinion, it was ‘highest quality’ contest I have seen all year. While some other games had crazier finishes, KU-Texas looked like a Final 4 matchup with two heavyweights slugging it out. Although the read more...
This may be the only time in history that the stars have lined up like this. Literally. If you check out the GRITZ CD reviews, you'll see that our three latest reviews have a common thread. The artists were all members of the legendary Delaney Bonnie read more...
Roving Notes On Super Bowl Sunday 2/3/08 "There is some kind of back-door connection in my head between Super Bowls and The Allman read more...
by Patrick Snow * The best storyline in the conference this season has easily been the Baylor Bears. At 16-3 overall and 4-1 in league play, Scott Drew’s team has a legitimate chance to be in the Big Dance. His team has five scorers averaging in double figures, and read more...
Gary Clark Jr. Plays Austin 12/21/07 Musician Gary Clark, Jr.
New Nelson CD, Moment of Forever, Hits Streets Early 08 12/19/07 Great American read more...
Mystery & Manners John Sayles Interview 12/8/07 On Thursday I interviewed John Sayles. Sayles' new movie Honeydripper was filmed in Alabama. Honeydripper read more...
Mystery & Manners Dispatch 12/05/07 Today marks the birthday of southern writer
Dogs Best Friend: Willie Nelson 11/24/07 Willie read more...
Rivalry games define college football. More than bowl games or even conference championships, a win against your rival means bragging rights for a year. That is why this weekend's game can often be the hardest to call. A team with a losing record can suddenly make read more...
The wild year continues. In many ways this was just a sign of the transition college football around the Footprint has experienced. In some ways, it shouldn't be as surprising as it has been. Nick Saban's arrival lit a fire under everyone. The ante was read more...
Jerry Wexler Talks Dylan, Doug Sahm and Muscle Shoals 11/15/07 In these interview clips, the great Jerry Wexler discusses recording
Coen Brothers Adapt Cormac McCarthy's Book No Country For Old Men Into Film 11/11/07 A new Coen Brothers movie, based read more...
Patrick Snow has it right. This year's season of college football has shown that it is one of the most compelling sports to follow as a fan, especially in the Footprint.
It's the old saying when a player celebrates a little too much - act like you've been there before. This rules seems to also hold true to some of our Footprint's winning neophytes. When programs are new to winning, they don't know how to handle themselves. That's read more...
Ryan Bingham and The Drive By Truckers Hit The Road 10/17/07 Ryan Bingham and the
Tribal Fever would like to start this weekend's festivities by directing everyone to a fantastic series on ESPN.com about the SEC. Which leads us to this week's focus - the historical read more...
Let's start with this week's College Football Preview from Athlon. Swampland's own Patrick Snow hosts each week. (Read Patrick's new column on the state of baseball in read more...
Patrick Snow mentioned in his last column that he was looking ahead to next week's games. Based on yesterday's game result, so were too many top 25 teams in the Footprint. TF Upsets read more...
It was only a matter of time before Swampland Sports starting covering the colleges in earnest. Today marks the start of Tribal Fever, Swampland.com's dispatch dedicated to college sports in the South. We have new features up including Patrick Snow's latest read more...
New Releases Doyle Bramhall Is It News (Yep Roc) Jim Dickinson
Uncle John, Johnny Winter and Tommy Shannon
New Releases Billy Bob Thornton Beautiful Door (New Door) Billy Ray Cyrus
1. The NBA Draft was this week’s big sports story. The Draft is all about hope for the future. Despite recent expansion in the Swampland footprint, the NBA has struggled to find an audience down South. The problem starts with the NBA’s inability to connect with the read more...
Reissues Asleep At The Wheel Western Standard Time/Big Wheel (Evangeline) Buddy read more...
CDs New Releases Charlie Daniels Live From Iraq (Koch) James Burton read more...
I hope each of you read the newspaper article by James Lewis of Newhouse News Service published on May 26th. Lewis wrote about four ninety-plus year old women from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, who went out for an evening on the town. The women left the Country Meadows Retirement read more...
Last weekend I traveled to Austin, Texas, for the 90th birthday celebration of Dr. Elva Mclin, my mentor, friend, and longtime colleague. Another former colleague and friend of the honoree accompanied me. Because neither of us had ever been to Austin before, we elected to stay in read more...
Waterloo Record's 25th Anniversary Concert (in the Waterloo Parking Lot!) On Sunday, April 15th from 11:30am - 7pm legendary Austin record store, Waterloo Records & Video, is read more...
Police have issued arrest warrants for country singer Billy Joe Shaver after he shot and wounded a man outside a Texas bar, the entertainer's attorney said. After Shaver left a bar in Lorena on read more...
3/20/07 On March 15, through invitation only, a listening party was conducted at South By Southwest to debut the Flying Burrito Brothers (with Gram Parsons) performing a classic show at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco in 1969.
Willie Nelson has partnered with longtime manager Mark Rothbaum and veteran producer/label exec James Stroud on Pedernales Records. The first act on Austin-based Pedernales will be the band 40 Points, which features Nelson's sons, guitarist and singer Lukas and drummer Micah.
Willie Nelson may oppose war in Iraq, but also supports the troops with his recently released single, "Whatever Happened To Peace On Earth"" available as an online download. The song features Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Michael McDonald, Patrick Simmons of The Doobie read more...