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The Battalion
Page 3A • Thursday, September 2, 2004
PAGE DESIGN BY JULIE BONE
Town & Texas Country
Aggie Roger Creager, Texas country artists to head up Bryan concert Saturday
By Jimmy Hissong
THE BATTALION
The gentle lapping of water against the Lake
Bryan shoreline is not likely to be a topic of con
versation backstage this Saturday at Ziegenbock-
fest. Nor is it likely to be heard over the melodies
bellowed by sweat-soaked vocalists to the tune
I of acoustic guitars and crunching beer cans. But
the water will resonate with the howls of fans as
a feel-good sentiment ripples outward through the
crowd with the camaraderie of the performing art
ists at the core.
College Station boasts a number of smaller
venues that popular Texas country musicians fre
quent, but residents and students do not typically
lents ofth;I get the opportunity to attend the larger and louder
that sevetlperformances that an outdoor stage provides, w ith
gas odor! the exception ofChilifest (which isn’t technically
in College Station).
As a result, continual attendance of even the
most loyal fans to B-CS shows fails to demon
strate the companionship and respect these artists
share with one another.
“Everybody has a schedule. They’re playing
wherever a lot. I’m playing wherever a lot,” said
Roger Creager, singer, songw riter, and three-time
Texas A&M student. “These festivals are usually
the only times we get to see each other, and it defi
nitely comes across on stage.”
The corporate pop formula of syndication and
record sales utilized by MTV moguls conjures
myths of success factors in the music industry,
with radio play and radio overplay being the most
crucial and annoying. However, the grassroots
campaign of various artists claiming membership
into the emerging country rock variety rejects the
road to Total Request Live and concentrates on the
continual construction of an extensive and loyal
fan base.
Of the names in today’s Texas country scene,
only Kevin Fowler has made an MTV appearance
with his rock band Dangerous Toys, but that one
has been chalked up to lessons learned. After a
corporate buyout, Fow ler found himself without a
i loyal fan base or a band.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF DUALTONE RECORDS
Ziegenbock Texas Music Fest will take place
Saturday, Sept. 4 with doors opening at 10 a.m.
and artists performing until past midnight. Above:
Roger Creager windmills as he wails on his Mar
tin. Right: Creager in El Campo, Texas.
“1 was kind of a hired gun. and that’s the worst
thing to build on.” Fowler said. “Now we just do
what we do and let whoever likes it latch on.”
Through the crusade to inspire Lone Star State
sympathizers and red-dirt natives with killer
performances and heartfelt ballads, bonds have
formed among the country brethren.
“Everyone is friends. Everyone has had some
beers with everyone else.” said Buddy Huffman,
frontman for the band Macon Greyson.
Even though these artists now share a similar
stomping ground, their paths to the stage were
rather different. Mike Eli of the Eli Young Band
and Jack Ingram, frontman for Jack Ingram and
The Beat Up Ford Band, pursued their musical in
terests during and immediately following their col
lege years. Max Stalling, singer and songwriter,
and Creager both pursued nine-to-five occupations
before answering a call from honky-tonk. Creager
crunched numbers as an accountant, while Stalling
was deterred by a steady paycheck from the Frito-
Lay Corporation.
In addition to past career path differences, the
Ziegenbockfest crew fails to see eye-to-eye on a
precise description of the music they waft over
the crowd.
“A fan once told me he thought we were a cross
between Weezer and Johnny Cash,” said Huff-
PHOTO COURTESY OF DUALTONE RECORDS
man. “Whatever that means.”
Others look for a slightly less defined defini
tion of their sound.
“1 think I’d call it country music, but people
call it what they want. Just don’t call it silly,”
Ingram said.
The difficulty to nail a direct label to the music
derives from the expanse of appeal the music has
to offer. The variety that the genre has to offer is
matched only by the variation of age and appear
ance of the fans. Grandmothers, fraternity broth-
See Concert on page 4A
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