| Members: | Brian Hofeldt, Ed Adkins, Scott Matthews, Sweet Basil McJagger, and Chris Schlotzhauer |
| Genre: | Americana/Country/Ro |
| Hometown: | Austin, Texas |
| Record Label: | Palo Duro Records |
| Website: | |
| Current Location: | Austin, Texas |
| Booking Agent: | Davis McLarty, (512) 444-8750 |
| Press Contact: | Kristin Dray, (866) PALO-DURO x202 |
| Artists We Also Like: | Eleven Hundred Springs & Two Tons of Steel |
| Influences: | Buck Owens, The Beatles |
| Biography: | It was their mutual love for the music of legendary country artist Buck Owens that originally brought The Derailers together back in the ’90s, and with the release of their eighth album, Under the Influence of Buck, the honky-tonkin’ boys from Austin bring their music all the way back to the source with a rollicking and heartfelt tribute to the timeless music of Buck Owens. As the band has evolved over the years, perfecting its patented “Beatles-meets-Bakersfield” sound, The Derailers... (read more) |
News & Reviews
The American Chronicle, The Derailers and Dwight Yoakam Remember Buck Owens
By Deborah Evans Price
January 30, 2008
(click for full article) If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then inspiration is the highest form of creativity. Both elements come to play in two recent albums that achieve their excellence through celebrating the late County Music Hall of Fame member Buck Owens.
That legacy impacted, among many other artists, The Beatles, whose cover of “Act Naturally” caught the young Brian Hofeldt’s attention. “I was about 7 years old,” the future Derailers singer and lead guitarist remembered. “I’d sit down at the piano and try to bang out ‘Act Naturally,’ and my folks said, ‘You know, that’s actually a Buck Owens song.’ And I went, ‘Buck Owens? The guy from “Hee Haw”?’ I didn’t know, but I thought if The Beatles liked him, I’m going to listen to as much as I can. Buck Owens really stuck with me. I just loved his delivery and his songs. That guitar sound was just so stunning and sparkling and clear. It really spoke to me.”
The Derailers met Owens in 1995. “Our friend Casper Rawls had a Buck Owens birthday bash every year in Austin at the Continental Club,” Hofeldt related. “In 1995, he finally talked Buck into coming down to visit. Buck stood back in the corner, and when we got up onstage to do our Buck songs in the show, he came up and stood right in front of us. He was visibly touched because we had paid such direct homage to his music and even [by] the way we dressed and presented ourselves.”
Four years later, Owens invited The Derailers to be the house band for his 70th birthday bash at the Crystal Palace. The back cover of Under the Influence of Buck shows him standing in front of the stage that night, watching The Derailers and smiling. Later he joined them in the studio to record “Play Me the Waltz of the Angels,” which appears on their 1999 album Full Western Dress.
Remembering that session, Hofeldt recalled Owens telling them, “‘It’s interesting you guys picked this song to involve me with. I’d actually played guitar on the original Wynn Stewart version.’ It was a real full-circle thing for him. Of course, it was just an amazing, wonderful experience for us to be involved in a recording with Buck Owens. I can’t say enough nice things about how supportive he was to us over the years.”
In recording Under the Influence of Buck, Hofeldt said, “we did adhere pretty close to the arrangements that Buck and his Buckaroos and Ken Nelson, Buck’s producer, laid out for those songs. For so many years, we’ve been playing those songs like that, and another thing is that the sound is so specific and so unique and such a part of what we’ve taken as a part of our sound that we really wanted to, in tribute to Buck, play that sound the way it was. We felt we were approaching what we were doing in a way that Buck would be proud of. We had him on our minds the whole time.”
Both Yoakam and Hofeldt have benefited from their friend’s advice. “One thing I really remember is he said, ‘Don’t be afraid to entertain the idea of doing an outside song from another songwriter,’” Hofeldt recalled. “He said, ‘I have my own publishing company and I’m doing well with it. I wrote most of my own songs. But I never would have gotten my first No. 1 if I hadn’t gotten “Act Naturally,”‘ which was written by Johnny Russell and Voni Morrison.
As for Yoakam, the most valuable lesson imparted by Owens was “to cherish the opportunity that I’ve had to make a living performing music. Watching him enjoy what he was doing to the very end of his life, that makes it a great lesson.”
Owens actually performed at the Crystal Palace on the night he died. Shortly after ending his show, he encountered some late arrivals who had just made it down from Oregon and without hesitation went back to sing some more for them. “He played a short set and ended with ‘Big in Vegas,’” Hofeldt said, noting the song that closes The Derailers tribute album. “That was the last song that Buck ever performed. To the end, he was the ultimate entertainer.”
Click here to listen to samples of The Derailers “Under The Influence Of Buck” on www.iLike.com
This is your chance to duct-tape the critics’ mouths shut and speak up about Austin music. Not sure whom to vote for? Turn on the radio, drop by the local record store, or club. Your favorite…Palo Duro Records…band is probably playing the music we love! Entries must be received by Thursday, January 31, 2008.
Some of our fan picks!
Review by Duke Egbert
There comes a time in every young man’s life when he gets over his desire to be cool and realizes that honky-tonk music is just a whole hell of a lot of fun. Mine occurred about six years ago, and I’ve never looked back.
So it was with much anticipation that I looked forward to the new album from Austin’s The Derailers, Under The Influence Of Buck. This CD is a tribute to the band’s greatest influence, the Bakersfield sound of Buck Owens. The Derailers were the house band at Owens’ 70th birthday party, and I have to admit they have an uncanny ability to nail the sound and feel of Owens’ work perfectly; Owens’ work in stripping down country and honky-tonk to its essentials has been a major influence in American music.
Before Owens, country music was lost in a morass of sweet strings and easy listening influences, afterwards, it returned to its roots. (Just a side note: apparently someone has to come in and remind country music about every twenty years that it’s not supposed to sound like soft rock. As soon as I find out who’s responsible, I say we go smack ‘em around.)
However, this isn’t just a vanity project or a cover band festival. Instead, it’s a joyous and wide-ranging musical celebration of all things Owens. The CD has a tight, intimate sound reminiscent of playing in small, smoky roadhouses; the vocals and guitar take center stage, and Under The Influence is straightforward and a delight. The Derailers cover all of Buck’s better known songs — “Together Again,” “I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail,” “Cryin’ Time” — but they also wander through some less-mapped territory with songs like “Who’s Gonna Mow Your Grass” from Owens’ late-sixties experimental work. Add in the raucous, foot-stomping fun of songs like “Foolin’ Around” and “Love’s Gonna Live Here” and you’ve got a musical good time.
One of the last tracks on Under The Influence Of Buck is “Johnny B. Goode,” a reminder of Owens’ belief that country and rockabilly were close relatives. This humble reviewer agrees, and wishes more musicians would remember just that. The Derailers certainly do, and that’s why Under The Influence of Buck is a damned fine CD and a damned good time.
Rating: A
Review by Duke Egbert, DailyVault.com
There comes a time in every young man’s life when he gets over his desire to be cool and realizes that honky-tonk music is just a whole hell of a lot of fun. Mine occurred about six years ago, and I’ve never looked back.
So it was with much anticipation that I looked forward to the new album from Austin’s The Derailers, Under The Influence Of Buck. This CD is a tribute to the band’s greatest influence, the Bakersfield sound of Buck Owens. The Derailers were the house band at Owens’ 70th birthday party, and I have to admit they have an uncanny ability to nail the sound and feel of Owens’ work perfectly; Owens’ work in stripping down country and honky-tonk to its essentials has been a major influence in American music.
Before Owens, country music was lost in a morass of sweet strings and easy listening influences, afterwards, it returned to its roots. (Just a side note: apparently someone has to come in and remind country music about every twenty years that it’s not supposed to sound like soft rock. As soon as I find out who’s responsible, I say we go smack ‘em around.)
However, this isn’t just a vanity project or a cover band festival. Instead, it’s a joyous and wide-ranging musical celebration of all things Owens. The CD has a tight, intimate sound reminiscent of playing in small, smoky roadhouses; the vocals and guitar take center stage, and Under The Influence is straightforward and a delight. The Derailers cover all of Buck’s better known songs — “Together Again,” “I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail,” “Cryin’ Time” — but they also wander through some less-mapped territory with songs like “Who’s Gonna Mow Your Grass” from Owens’ late-sixties experimental work. Add in the raucous, foot-stomping fun of songs like “Foolin’ Around” and “Love’s Gonna Live Here” and you’ve got a musical good time.
One of the last tracks on Under The Influence Of Buck is “Johnny B. Goode,” a reminder of Owens’ belief that country and rockabilly were close relatives. This humble reviewer agrees, and wishes more musicians would remember just that. The Derailers certainly do, and that’s why Under The Influence of Buck is a damned fine CD and a damned good time.
Rating: A
The Americana Music Association released its list of the Top 100 Albums of 2007, and we’re proud to have several artists in the lineup. Congrats to these fantastic artists and their stellar recordings!
- Trent Summar & The New Row Mob, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades
- Walt Wilkins & The Mystiqueros, Diamonds in the Sun
- The Derailers, Under the Influence of Buck
Join The Derailers Friday evening at the newly reopened Cactus Records in Houston! The band will be providing an in-store performance at 5:30pm, and signing CDs of their highly-acclaimed Under the Influence of Buck. Admission is free, but space is limited so get their early and bring a friend!
Cactus Records
2110 Portsmouth
Houston, TX 77098
(713) 526-9272
KUT: Song of the Day 12:51pm
SONG OF THE DAY: THE DERAILERS “MY HEART SKIPS A BEAT”
Austin honky-tonkers, The Derailers performing an old Buck Owens tune called, “My Heart Skips a Beat.” You can find that song on the band’s latest album – a tribute to the country music legend called, Under the Influence of Buck.
— Andrew Uhler
The Strictly Country 2007 Spirit Awards have been announced! Congratulations to The Derailers, Finalists in the following five categories.
Entertainer Of The Year…..Vote
Performance of the Year…..Vote
Vocal Group / Duo of the Year…..Vote
Starbound Award…..Vote
BOB (Best of the Best) Award…..Vote
The Spirit Awards began in 1995, by Strictly Country. These awards were designed to give entertainers in country music a fair opportunity to win award(s) voted by their fans, music industry personnel and peers. The awards were also designed to give the fans of country music an opportunity to voice their opinion with the opportunity to vote for their favorite country music entertainers.
Thanks to the folks at Strictly Country for recognizing good country music in all forms.
From Kathy Coleman
There are few artists in the history of country music who have had greater and more lasting influence than Buck Owens. This is true for all manner of west-coast country artists, as well as mainstream, whether people realize it or not. For nearly twenty years Buck Owens was an invited guest in a half-million or so American households every week as one of the hosts of the syndicated hillbilly sensation, Hee Haw!, and he wrote and sang some of the most enduring songs in country. The Derailers are here to show us all, through Buck’s music, just how true that is.
About the only complaint I have about this disc is that lead singer Brian Hofeldt, along with the rest of the Derailers (Ed Edkins, Scott Matthews, Sweet Basil McJagger, and Chris Schlotzhauer), sound almost too much like Buck Owens and the Buckaroos. This isn’t a bad thing, at least, not in my opinion - I love really close covers. But it is a truism that when a tribute comes this close to the original, you might as well listen to the original. Still, there’s a lot of love in these tracks, with some of Buck’s best and most well-known hits, such as “Foolin’ Around,” “I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail,” and “Love’s Gonna Live Here.” Thirteen tracks (and the liner notes say there’s a bonus track, “Cajun Fiddle,” but it’s not really a “track,” per se, rather about a minute of fine fiddlin’ tacked onto the end of “Big in Vegas,” written by Buck). And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love this. I really do… largely because I lack a lot of Buck in my own collection. In fact, the only way I’d love this disc more was if it included my favorite Buck song, “Made In Japan.” It’s also missing some of Buck’s fun, tongue-in-cheek humorous songs, and for some reason includes “Johnny B. Goode,” which Buck did record but was hardly a “Buck Owens Song,” and could have easily been sacrificed for something truly Owens-esque. Of course, I could make a long list about what’s not here - what’s important is what IS. More
More Bang For The “BUCK” 2:16pm
They got - and gave - more bang for their Buck
By Steve Morse, Boston Globe Correspondent
The roots of California country-rock run through the desert town of Bakersfield, where Buck Owens helped craft the “Bakersfield sound” back in the 1960s. His music was characterized by raw electric guitar and hard-hitting drums that served as a punchy alternative to the slick “countrypolitan” sound sweeping Nashville at the time.
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Owens, a rhinestone cowboy who also co-hosted the long-running TV series “Hee Haw,” died last year at 76. He recorded more than 20 No. 1 country hits, many in the ’60s when he influenced groups as far ranging as the Beatles (who covered his hit “Act Naturally”) to the Byrds, Eagles, Gram Parsons, and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
“Buck was absolutely well-known by everyone from the Beatles to the Byrds,” says disciple Dwight Yoakam. “He really affected pop culture the way we know it.”
Owens’s legacy has been marked by two new tribute discs: Yoakam’s “Dwight Sings Buck” and the Derailers’ “Under the Influence of Buck.” Yoakam had revived Owens’s career in 1988 by singing with him on a rerelease of the honky-tonking “Streets of Bakersfield,” which went to No. 1. And the Derailers are an Austin, Texas, group that first met Owens 12 years ago and became the house band for his 70th birthday party, where it also backed Yoakam.
“Obviously, Dwight has a bigger name than us, but we both love Buck,” says Derailers singer Brian Hofeldt.
Owens is best known to some people for his comedic role on “Hee Haw.” He wore overalls and acted like a hick - some musicologists regret that he’s often stereotyped that way - but in real life, he was a smart businessman. He made a fortune through “Hee Haw” (he was reportedly paid $400,000 a year back then) and also owned several radio stations that did well, as well as the Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, a must-stop club for many entertainers. He also controlled his own music publishing rights.
But artists will remember him best for the Bakersfield sound, a rockin’ revival of traditional country music also espoused by Merle Haggard. Its influence is felt in both of these exemplary new tributes from Yoakam and the Derailers, which are fitting memorials.
In a typically bizarre music-biz story, neither Yoakam nor the Derailers knew the other was making a tribute album until each was almost finished. Regardless, the discs complement each other beautifully. Yoakam takes more liberty with the songs - improvising and injecting a lot of personal emotion - while the Derailers stick with more faithful, but clearly loving, treatments. And nearly 50 percent of the Derailers’s album has songs that are different from those on Yoakam’s CD, so listeners get an added bonus.
Yoakam performs eight of Owens’s No. 1 hits, from the joyfulness of “My Heart Skips a Beat” and “Love’s Gonna Live Here,” to the ebullient twang of “Act Naturally.” But the excitement comes when he diverges from any cloning to bring a fresh rhythmic spin to “Under the Spell Again” (featuring Motown session percussionist Bobbye Hall) and an otherworldly vocal to famed ballad “Together Again.” (I still prefer Emmylou Harris’s version, but Yoakam brings a more haunting angle to it.)
The Derailers also cover many of Owens’s ’60s hits but add some curiosities such as his country version of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” to the snappy honky tonk of “Sam’s Place” and the campy “Who’s Gonna Mow Your Grass,” which Hofeldt describes as a “psychedelic waltz.”
As for his band’s more faithful approach, Hofeldt says, “We thought the arrangements and production style were so cool that we wanted that to come across. There was a little hubris on our part. We felt as a band that we were good enough to record them that way. We felt a little cocky, I suppose.”
The Derailers even recorded the songs in the same chronological order that Owens did. Adds Hofeldt: “We’re just unabashed Buck fans.”
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
