Play just the first 10 seconds of “The Mountain,” which opens Geronimo, the latest and most ambitious release from Shane Smith & The Saints. Robust a cappella, four-part harmonies set the stage for a saga of family tragedy, a young son’s revenge and a blaze burning eternally in a Pennsylvania mine. The vivid lyrics, powerful vocals and thumping four-beat drums throughout this song are reason enough for lovers of creative roots music to celebrate. From their home base in Austin through performances across the country (17 states) and abroad (Ireland), these five gentlemen have not just stuck stubbornly to their musical and lyrical convictions. They’ve defied audience expectations by delivering incendiary shows, each one ignited by the band’s ability to unleash, feed from and feed back the energy of the crowd — in spite of the fact that they don’t fit easily into any musical category

Sunny Sweeney True to her Texas honky-tonk roots, Sunny Sweeney has never been a singer of what you’d call “soft” country songs — the kind you might turn to for easy comfort , you better believe she’s not about to start playing coy now. The recurring themes in that story should be familiar to anyone well versed in the classic country cannon: temptation, cheating, adultery, divorce, broken hearts, carrying on despite all of the above. —Sweeney’s singing it all from first-hand experience, and she’s not always singing from the perspective of an innocent victim, either. Sunny Sweeney makes it clear, she’s done making excuses, both for the damage done and for holding herself back from embracing a second chance at love and happiness. The end result may surprise listeners as much as it did Sweeney herself

William Clark Green is definitely no stranger to the music scene; he knew at the ripe age of 13 that he would embrace his passion and work vigorously in order to make a name for himself. As a 7th grader with substantial ambition, he began receiving guitar lessons and spending free time with his cousin writing music and bouncing ideas off of one another. Green draws inspiration from his personal musical hero Willis Allan Ramsey, and his work ethic from his father both men have fond memories of a Young William Clark Green with a guitar in hand. While attending college at Texas Tech University, Green played for a live audience whenever he could and steadily gained notoriety on the Texas music scene. He credits the Blue Light in Lubbock as his unofficial home, where he spent many nights honing on his craft and gaining a loyal army of followers. . At this rate, the sky is the limit as everyone waits to see what William Clark Green has up his sleeve next. ​

Known as one of America’s hardest-working touring acts, Austin's Band of Heathens performs the first of two shows on Live from the Divide.

Bringin' Country Back" is more than a catchphrase for Zane Williams. It is a rallying cry for a return to authenticity and substance in mainstream country music, and a fitting title for his sixth studio album. "I think of country music as poetry for the common man," he says reflectively. "The stories that draw you in, the simple truth stated in a way you wish you could've said...there's an honesty to country music songwriting that totally grabbed me the first time I heard it." That plain-spoken, down-home honesty has now become the calling card for Zane's career,. "I just love country music, and I don't want to see it fall by the wayside," he says. "I wanted to create a laid-back, old-school country songs that folks could listen to on the back porch with the sun going down. It's nothing fancy, but it's real." And isn't that what country music should be?

From El Paso, The Dirty River Boys bring their Rio-spanning mix of rock, country and Tejano to the Live from the Divide stage.

This week A very special episode celebrating Songwriter, performer, and music producer Walt Wilkins San Antonio-born Walt Wilkins has been called a genius, more than once, and a writer the caliber of John Steinbeck and his voice as comfortable as a pair of old blue jeans, His crafting of story-songs, hard-edged vocals to sing them and a plaintive guitar have made him a fixture of the Texas music scene (and Nashville before that). Walt Wilkins is one of those artists who can only be fully understood through a grasp of his entire body of work, which is substantial. He emerges as a man of wisdom, a beacon for the rest of us, maybe even a healer. As a music producer Walt Wilkins has shared his hard earned wisdom and Craft on many recordings by new and veteran artists .... too many to count. Ladies and gentlemen we are proud to present the 300th recorded episode of Live from the divide featuring the amazing Walt Wilkins ​

​Jack Ingram was born in Houston, Texas. He started writing songs and performing while studying psychology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Jack Ingram began his music career singing at a privately owned bar near the TCU campus of Fort Worth, Later, during the early 1990s, Jack toured the state of Texas opening for Mark Chesnutt and other acts. His first release was his self-titled album in 1995 with an appearance on Austin city limits-, When Jack Ingram won the 2008 Academy of Country Music award for “Best New Male Vocalist,” thousands of people in the audience had to be smiling to themselves about that whole “new” thing. They knew the thirty-something, steel-eyed veteran accepting that trophy on that stage in Vegas had been rocking roadhouses, theaters and stadiums relentlessly since 1997, that he’d been celebrated by critics and fans of hard-core country music for more than a decade, and that as a Texas-born songwriter and performer, he’d been on the short list of next generation artists who could fill the boots of Lone Star legends like Willie and Waylon and the boys.

Jason Boland is one of the leading lights in the Red Dirt scene, a grassroots movement that mixes honky tonk, outlaw, and contemporary country, and is powered by constant touring. The Red Dirt sound has two homes, Texas and Oklahoma, and Boland and his band the Stragglers hail from the latter., but Boland has insisted from the outset that they're a honky tonk outfit straight out of the country & western tradition.

Shinyribs is an American country-soul, swamp-funk band from Austin, Texas. Shinyribs is the continuation of Kevin Russell’s musical journey that began in Beaumont, TX when, at 14, he found his father’s guitar under his bed, along with a sewing machine, a billy club and a box of comic books. Luckily he chose the guitar. . His original songs laced with magical-realism along with novel interpretations of popular songs old and new (George Jones, TLC, Leadbelly, T-Pain) are the true art that runs throughout. He’s Burl Ives meets Al Green; Hank meets Teddy Pendergrass. A Shinyribs show is an exaltation of spirit. It’s a hip shaking, belly laughing, soul-singing, song-slinging, down-home house party.

Bonnie Bishop: After a long career of touring and performing bar gigs, Bishop took a break back home in Texas. She went to graduate school for creative writing as a way to refresh herself after many years on the road. While studying for her Masters degree, award-winning producer David Cobb (Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson) called her after hearing some demos. Convinced Bishop should be singing soul music, Bonnie is singing about stepping away from your past, redefining your present and gearing up to chase down a better, brighter future ...

Texas southern soul/Americana band The Buffalo Ruckus took its first “boot-stomping rhythms, howling vocals, and spear-in-the-back guitar leads” in 2013 towards their overall objective: Spread the Ruckus. The next year, they released their debut self-titled album and won both the Shiner Rising Star and the Texas Music Showdown. Since then, they have performed on the nationally syndicated Troubadour, TX television show, at Billy Bob’s and the House of Blues, plus a number of music festivals across the nation

Texas rockers Quiet Company make some noise on the Live from the Divide stage.

Konrad Wert...aka Possessed by Paul James...brings his one-man magical mojo to the Live from the Divide stage.

Cultivating a Covey of Bozeman fans, The Damn Quails bring their Oklahoma folk-rock to the Live from the Divide Stage.

When Sam Riggs chose to follow his dream of being a professional musician, picking up and leaving his native Florida, he had a decision to make: Nashville or Austin. He ultimately elected to settle in the Texas capital, citing its reputation as an incubator for original talent. Since then, he formed Sam Riggs and the Night People and released his full-length debut, 2013’s Outrun the Sun. It’s a Red Dirt record, full of wide-open ballads and mid-tempo country-rock, with songs about taking leaps of faith, overcoming shattered hearts and letting go. All the while coloring outside the lines with more than a few shades of Riggs’ influences — including Garth Brooks and Riggs’ mentor, Texas country rebel Ray Wylie Hubbard ​

Brennen Leigh and Noel McKay craft story songs with equal measures heart and humor. This dynamic songwriting duo based out of Austin, TX know a thing or two about songwriting.  Brennen Leigh's songs have been recorded by the likes of Lee Ann Womack, Sunny Sweeney, and the Carper Family among others. In addition, she has collaborated with songwriting greats such as Jim Lauderdale, John Scott Sherrill and David Olney. Noel McKay was discovered by songwriting legend Guy Clark in 1993 while performing his songs at a venue in Kerrville, Texas. Clark's mentorship has been a key component to Noel's success as a songwriter. In the 2000s Noel had several regional hits across the state of Texas with his brother Hollin McKay in the band McKay Brothers. 

Shinyribs Russell is known as the front man of the Austin TX musical combo, The Gourds. Born in Beaumont TX, he found his calling in the biker bars of Louisiana at the tender age of seventeen playing a hybrid of loud country blues rock and psychedelic swamp jangle. In a fit of wanderlust, Russell began performing solo shows under the pseudonym Shinyribs as early as 2006 - and has since been honing the project into one of the most interesting roots music experiences around. Stylistically it pulls from the spectrums of great American music; Country, Gospel, Funk and a dollop of earnest poetry in the middle of it all...

Texas singer/songwriter Jason Eady brings his special brand of honky tonk and traditional country music to the Live From The Divide stage.

Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights first began to take shape when childhood friends began playing guitar in their teens. With shared common influences ranging from the Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin and Jimi Henrix to Bob Dylan, The Band and Muddy Waters; the two were compelled to write and play together. From the start it was JT on vocals, playing a mean, bluesy lead guitar, with Kansas on rythym adding a harder rock edge, a combo that was instantly right. Several years and incarnations later, they were joined by musical prodigy Nick Jay on bass and a hard-hitting drummer from Oklahoma named Jordan Cain. The core of the band was at last in place and the sound began to gel. After being together for less than a month, the four piece went into the studio to record HOT TROTTIN’ – a raucous and enjoyable journey from start to finish.  It’s a stunning first effort for any band, particularly for a group of guys that had been playing together for just three short weeks. The sophomore effort, ‘Pardon Me’ was released by Atlantic in 2010 – Their most recent release, ‘Holy Smokes’ (2015) was put out by Timeless Echo/Thirty Tigers. Night after night, they deliver a wall of sound with a groove so undeniable, it makes fans rise to their feet and stand at attention. The band is tight and Jonathan’s raw energy coupled with blazing guitar work and rugged vocals has heads turning. They quickly became one of the hottest bands in the region with a buzz that has made its way to New York and Los Angeles.

Shane Smith & The Saints - Play just the first 10 seconds of “The Mountain,” which opens Geronimo, the latest and most ambitious release from Shane Smith & The Saints. Robust a cappella, four-part harmonies set the stage for a saga of family tragedy, a young son’s revenge and a blaze burning eternally in a Pennsylvania mine. The vivid lyrics, powerful vocals and thumping four-beat drums throughout this song are reason enough for lovers of creative roots music to celebrate. From their home base in Austin through performances across the country (17 states) and abroad (Ireland), these five gentlemen have not just stuck stubbornly to their musical and lyrical convictions. They’ve defied audience expectations by delivering incendiary shows, each one ignited by the band’s ability to unleash, feed from and feed back the energy of the crowd — in spite of the fact that they don’t fit easily into any musical category

Drew Kennedy bases out of New Braunfels, a lovely Texas Hill Country town nestled along the banks of the Comal and Guadalupe rivers between Austin and San Antonio. A town settled in 1845 by German idealists and a fitting locale for a principled and energetic artist like Kennedy. He might be called a reluctant but diligent optimist, looking for the good in people and circumstances while not always sure he will find it. Like many of us, Kennedy loves a sad song, the deep longing and familiarity of a well-crafted testament to lost love. However, in his work he strives to look forward, to new days and new loves, to the wonderful life we have left.

Jamie Lin Wilson - “It’s a weird road we’re on right now––I guess it always has been,” Jamie Lin Wilson says. She’s sitting on her porch in D’Hanis, a tiny town on the Seco Creek in South Texas, not far from San Antonio. She laughs a little, then adds, “But nobody’s life is the same. There is no blueprint.”  Thank goodness for all the lonely paths Jamie’s had to find that no one else has taken. With a voice that slides in and out of notes with easy grace, a sly sense of humor, and lyrics that highlight the details most of us miss, Jamie creates stark vignettes: intimate conversations between friends who might be lovers and lovers who can’t be friends; kids hopping from stone to stone in a graveyard; the way rolling clouds can signal a new season. She lives and works in that sweet spot where folk and country meet––Guy Clark territory.   With her honeyed Texan twang and smart, relatable songs, Jamie Lin Wilson earned her stripes in the late 2000s fronting Americana outfit the Sidehill Gougers, then later as part of the close harmony country quartet the Trishas. Though she made name as a collaborator and songwriter, Wilson later launched a career as a solo artist in 2015 – family ,touring ,collaborating and recording all in celebration of being an True American troubadour

Charlie Crockett - Growing up with a single mother in San Benito, Texas, the hometown of Tejano star Freddy Fender was not easy for blues singer Charley Crockett. Hitchhiking across the country exposed Crockett to the street life at a young age, following in the footsteps of his relative, American folk hero Davy Crockett, who also lived a wild life on the American frontier. After train hopping across the country, singing on the streets for change in New Orleans’ French Quarter, busking in New York City and performing across Texas and Northern California, Crockett set off to travel the world and lived on the streets of Paris for nearly a year before searching for home in Spain, Morocco, and Northern Africa. The the Roots & blues artist returned home to Texas and released his debut solo album titled A Stolen Jewel Since then has been touring the globe as a true American troubadour

John Fullbright is an singer-songwriter from Okemah, Oklahoma. Fullbright grew up on an 80-acre farm in Okemah, Oklahoma. He began playing the piano at age five and taking piano lessons at the age nine.Raised on the songs of hometown hero Woody Guthrie and steeped in the rich Americana artistry of genre-hopping mavericks like Townes Van Zandt, Randy Newman, and Steve Earle, Fullbright started his music education on the piano at the age of five. He later added guitar to his arsenal, and in his late teens he began honing his craft at the legendary Blue Door in Oklahoma City, eventually releasing a live album with the venue's founder, Greg Johnson. He spent the ensuing years touring and building his fan base,In 2009 he received a Grammy nomination in the category Best Americana Album.